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Purchased   by  the  Hamill   Missionary  Fund. 


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BV  3427  .M3  F5 

Fisher,  Daniel  Webster,  183( 

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Calvin  Wilson  Mateer 


CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 


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Calvin  Wilson  Mateer 


FORTY-FIVE  YEARS  A  MISSIONARY 
IN  SHANTUNG,  CHINA 


A  BIOGRAPHY 


BY    DANIEL    W.    FISHER 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  WESTMINSTER  PRESS 

1911 


Copyright,  191  i,  by 

The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 

Publication  and  Sabbath  School  Work 


Published  September,  191  i 


CONTENTS 

Introduction 9 

CHAPTER  I 

The  Old  Home ^S 

^  Birth— The  Cumberland  Valley— Parentage— Broth- 
ers and  Sisters,  Father,  Mother,  Grandfather— Re- 
moval to  the  "Hermitage"— Life  on  the  Farm— In  the 
Home— Stories  of  Childhood  and  Youth. 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Making  of  the  Man 27 

Native  Endowments— Influence  of  the  Old  Home— A 

\j  Country  Schoolmaster— Hunterstown  Academy- 
Teaching  School— Dunlap's  Creek  Academy— Pro- 
fession of  Rehgion— Jefferson  College— Recollections 
of  a  Classmate— The  Faculty— The  Class  of  1857— A 

'^  Semi-Centennial  Letter. 

CHAPTER  III 

Finding  His  Life  Work 40 

Mother  and  Foreign  Missions— Beaver  Academy- 
Decision  to  be  a  Minister— Western  Theological 
Seminary— The  Faculty— Revival— Interest  in  Mis- 
sions—Licentiate—Considering Duty  as  to  Missions- 
Decision— Delaware,  Ohio— Delay  in  Going— Ordi- 
nation—Marriage— Going  at  Last. 

CHAPTER  IV 

Gone  to  the  Front  .  .  .  •  •  *  ^' 
Bound  to  Shantung,  China— The  Voyage— Hardships 
and  Trials  on  the  Way— At  Shanghai— Bound  for  Che- 
foo— Vessel  on  the  Rocks— Wanderings  on  Shore- 
Deliverance  and  Arrival  at  Chefoo— By  Shentza  to 
Tengchow. 

V 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  V  PAGE 

The  New  Home 70 

The  Mateer  Dwelling — Tengchow  as  It  Was — The 
Beginning  of  Missions  There — The  Kwan  Yin  Temple 
— Making  a  Stove  and  Coal-press — Left  Alone  in  the 
Temple — Its  Defects — Building  a  New  House — 
Home  Life. 

CHAPTER  VI 

His  Inner  Life 88 

Not  a  Dreamer — Tenderness  of  Pleart — Regeneration 
— Religious  Reserve — Record  of  Religious  Experiences 
— Depression  and  Relief — Unreserved  Consecration — 
Maturity  of  ReHgious  Life — Loyalty  to  Convictions. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Doing  the  Work  of  an  Evangelist  .  .  .  105 
Acquiring  the  Language — Hindrances — Beginning  to 
Speak  Chinese — Chapel  at  Tengchow — Province  of 
Shantung — Modes  of  Travel — Some  Experiences  in 
Travel — First  Country  Trip — Chinese  Inns — A  Four 
Weeks'  Itineration — To  Wei  Hsien — Hatred  of  For- 
eigners— Disturbance — Itinerating  with  JuHa — Chi- 
nese Converts — To  the  Provincial  Capital  and  Tsai  An 
— Curtailing  His  Itinerations — Later  Trips. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Tengchow  School 128 

^'  The  School  Begun — Education  and  Missions — First 
Pupils — Means  of  Support — Enghsh  Excluded — 
Growth  of  School — A  Day's  Programme — Care  of 
Pupils — Discipline — An  Attempted  Suicide — Conver- 
sion of  a  Pupil — First  Graduates — Reception  After 
Furlough — An  Advance — Two  Decades  of  the  School. 

vi 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX  FACE 

The  Press  and  Literary  Labors  .  .  .  .150 
Contributions  to  the  Periodicals — English  Books — 
The  Shanghai  Mission  Press — Temporary  Superin- 
tendency — John  Mateer — Committee  on  School 
Books — Earlier  Chinese  Books — School  Books — 
JMandarin  Dictionary — Mandarin  Lessons — Care  as 
to  PubUcations — Pecuniary  Returns. 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Care  of  the  Native  Christians  .  .  .173 
Reasons  for  Such  Work — The  Church  at  Tengchow — 
Discipline — Conversion  of  School  Boys — Stated  Sup- 
ply at  Tengchow — Pastor — As  a  Preacher — The  Scat- 
tered Sheep — Miao  of  Chow  Yuen — Ingatherings — 
Latest  Country  Visitations — "Methods  of  Missions" 
— Presbytery  of  Shantung — Presbytery  in  the  Coun- 
try— Synod  of  China — Moderator  of  Synod — In  the 
General  Assembly. 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  Shantung  College  ......       207 

''The  College  of  Shantung" — The  Equipment — Physi- 
cal and  Chemical  Apparatus — Gathering  the  Appar- 
atus— The  Headship  Laid  Down — The  Anglo-Chinese 
College — Problem  of  Location  and  Endowment — 
Transfer  of  College  to  Wei  Ksien — A  New  President — 
"The  Shantung  Christian  University" — Personal  Re- 
moval to  Wei  Hsien — Temporary  President — Ofl&cial 
Separation — The  College  of  To-day. 

CHAPTER  XII 
With  Apparatus  and  Machinery    .         .         .         .236 
Achievements — Early  Indications — Self-Development 
— Shop — Early  Necessities — As  a  Help  in  Mission 

vii 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


\ 


V 


Work — Visitors — Help  to  Employment  for  Natives — 
Filling  Orders — A  Mathematical  Problem — Exhibi- 
tions. 

CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Mandarin  Version  .         .         .         .         .         .252 

First  Missionary  Conference — The  Chinese  Language 
— Second  IVIissionary  Conference — Consultation  as  to 
New  Version  of  Scriptures — The  Plan — Selection  of 
Translators — Translators  at  Work — Difficulties — 
Style — Sessions — Final  Meeting — New  Testament 
Finished — Lessons  Learned — Conference  of  1907 — 
Translators  of  the  Old  Testament. 

CHAPTER  XIV 
Incidents  by  the  Way    ......       275 

Trials — Deaths — The  "Rebels" — Tientsin  Massacre 
— Japanese  War  with  China — Boxer  Uprising — Fam- 
ine— Controversies — English  in  the  College — Pleas- 
ures— Distinctions  and  Honors — Journeys — Furloughs 
— Marriage — The  Siberian  Trip — Scenes  of  Early  Life. 

CHAPTER  XV 

Facing  the  New  China  ......      305 

The  Great  Break-Up — Past  Anticipations — A  Maker 
of  the  New  China — Influence  of  Missionaries — Present 
Indications — Dangers — Duties — Future  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

CHAPTER  XVI 

Called  Up  Higher  .         .         .         .         .         .         .319 

The  Last  Summer — Increasing  Illness — Taken  to 
Tsingtao — The  End — A  Prayer — Service  at  Tsingtao 
— Funeral  at  Chefoo — Tributes  of  Dr.  Corbett,  Dr. 
Hayes,  Dr.  Goodrich,  Mr.  Bailer,  Mrs.  A.  H. 
Mateer — West  Shantung  Mission — English  Baptist 
Mission — Presbyterian  Board — Secretary  Brown — 
Biographer— "Valiant  for  the  Truth." 

viii 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  is  a  privilege  to  comply  with  the  request  of 
Dr.  Fisher  to  write  a  brief  introduction  to  his 
biography  of  the  late  Calvin  W.  Mateer,  D.D., 
LL.D.  I  knew  Dr.  Mateer  intimately,  corresponded 
with  him  for  thirteen  years  and  visited  him  in  China. 
He  was  one  of  the  makers  of  the  new  China,  and  his 
life  forms  a  part  of  the  history  of  Christian  missions 
which  no  student  of  that  subject  can  afford  to  over- 
look. He  sailed  from  New  York  in  1863,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-eight,  with  his  young  wife  and  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Hunter  Corbett,  the  journey  to  China 
occupying  six  months  in  a  slow  and  wretchedly  un- 
comfortable sailing  vessel.  It  is  difhcult  now  to 
realize  that  so  recently  as  1863  a  voyage  to  the  far 
East  was  so  formidable  an  undertaking.  Indeed,  the 
hardships  of  that  voyage  were  so  great  that  the  health 
of  some  members  of  the  party  was  seriously  impaired. 
Difficulties  did  not  end  when  the  young  mission- 
aries arrived  at  their  destination.  The  people 
were  not  friendly;  the  conveniences  of  life  were  few; 
the  loneliness  and  isolation  were  exceedingly  trying; 
but  the  young  missionaries  were  undaunted  and 
pushed  their  work  with  splendid  courage  and  faith. 
Mr.   Corbett  soon  became  a  leader  in  evangelistic 

9 


10  INTRODUCTION 

work,  but  Dr.  Mateer,  while  deeply  interested  in 
evangelistic  work  and  helping  greatly  in  it,  felt 
chiefly  drawn  toward  educational  work.  In  1864, 
one  year  after  his  arrival,  he  and  his  equally  gifted 
and  devoted  wife  managed  to  gather  six  students. 
There  were  neither  text-books,  buildings,  nor  assist- 
ants; but  with  a  faith  as  strong  as  it  was  sagacious 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mateer  set  themselves  to  the  task  of 
building  up  a  college.  One  by  one  buildings  were 
secured,  poor  and  humble  indeed,  but  sufiicing  for 
a  start.  The  missionary  made  his  own  text-books 
and  manufactured  much  of  the  apparatus  with  his 
own  hands.  He  speedily  proved  himself  an  educator 
and  administrator  of  exceptional  ability.  Increasing 
numbers  of  young  Chinese  gathered  about  him. 
The  college  grew.  From  the  beginning,  Mr.  Mateer 
insisted  that  it  should  give  its  training  in  the  Chinese 
language,  that  the  instruction  should  be  of  the  most 
thorough  kind,  and  that  it  should  be  pervaded  through- 
out by  the  Christian  spirit.  When,  after  thirty- 
five  years  of  unremitting  toil,  advancing  years  com- 
pelled him  to  lay  down  the  burden  of  the  presidency, 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  college  recognized 
as  one  of  the  very  best  colleges  in  all  Asia.  It  con- 
tinues under  his  successors  in  larger  form  at  Wei 
Hsien,  where  it  now  forms  the  Arts  College  of  the 
Shantung  Christian  University. 

Dr.  Mateer  was  famous  not  only  as  an  educator, 
but  as  an  author  and  translator.  After  his  retire- 
ment from   the  college  he  devoted  himself  almost 


INTRODUCTION  11 

wholly  to  literary  work,  save  for  one  year,  when  a 
vacancy  in  the  presidency  of  the  college  again  devolved 
its  cares  temporarily  upon  him.  His  knowledge  of 
the  Chinese  language  was  extraordinary.  He  prepared 
many  text-books  and  other  volumes  in  Chinese, 
writing  some  himself  and  translating  others.  The 
last  years  of  his  Hfe  were  spent  as  chairman  of  a 
committee  for  the  revision  of  the  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  Chinese,  a  labor  to  which  he  gave  himself 
with  loving  zeal. 

Dr.  Mateer  was  a  man  of  unusual  force  of  char- 
acter; an  educator,  a  scholar  and  an  executive  of 
high  capacity.  Hanover  College,  of  which  Dr.  D. 
W.  Fisher  was  then  president,  early  recognized  his 
ability  and  success  by  bestowing  upon  him  the  honor- 
ary degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  in  1903  his 
alma  mater  added  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 
We  mourn  that  the  work  no  longer  has  the  benefit  of 
his  counsel;  but  he  builded  so  well  that  the  results 
of  his  labors  will  long  endure,  and  his  name  will 
always  have  a  prominent  place  in  the  history  of 
missionary  work  in  the  Chinese  empire. 

Dr.  Fisher  has  done  a  great  service  to  the  cause 
of  missions  and  to  the  whole  church  in  writing  the 
biography  of  such  a  man.  A  college  classmate 
and  lifelong  friend  of  Dr.  Mateer,  and  himself  a 
scholar  and  educator  of  high  rank,  he  has  written 
with  keen  insight,  with  full  comprehension  of  his 
subject,  and  with  admirable  clearness  and  power. 
I  bespeak  for  this  volume  and  for  the  great  work  in 


12  INTRODUCTION 

China  to  which  Dr.  Mateer  consecrated  his  Hfe  the 
deep  and  sympathetic  interest  of  all  who  may  read 
this  book. 

Arthur  Judson  Brown 

156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
April  13th,  jgii 


PREFACE 

WHEN  I  was  asked  to  become  the  biographer 
of  Dr.  Mateer,  I  had  planned  to  do  other 
literary  work,  and  had  made  some  prepara- 
tion for  it;  but  I  at  once  put  that  aside  and  entered 
on  the  writing  of  this  book.    I  did  this  for  several  rea- 
sons    Though  Dr.  Mateer  and  I  had  never  been 
very  intimate  friends,  yet,  beginning  with  our  college 
and  seminary  days,  and  on  to  the  close  of  hishte.we 
had  always  been  very  good  friends.    I  hadoccasion- 
ally  corresponded  with  him,  and,  being  m  hearty 
sympathy  with  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  I  had 
kept  myself  so  well  informed  as  to  his  achievements 
that  I  had  unusual  pleasure  in  officially  conferrmg 
on  him  the  first  of  the  distinctions  by  which  his  name 
came  to  be  so  well  adorned.    As  his  college  classmate, 
I  had  joined  with  the  other  survivors  in  recogniz- 
ing him  as  the  one  of  our  number  whom  we  most 
delighted  to  honor.    When  I  laid  down  my  ofiice 
of  college  president,   he  promptly  wrote  me,   and 
suggested  that  I  occupy  my  leisure  by  a  visit  to  China, 
and  that  I  use  my  tongue  and  pen  to  aid  the  cause 
of  the  evangelization  of  that  great  people.    Only 
a  few  months  before  his  death  he  sent  me  extended 
directions    for    such    a  visit.    When-whoUy  unex- 
pectedly—the  invitation  came  to  me  to  prepare  his 
biography,  what  could  I  do  but  respond  favorably? 
It  has  been  my  sole  object  in  this  book  to  reveal 

13 


14  PREFACE 

to  the  reader  Dr.  Mateer,  the  man,  the  Christian, 
the  missionary,  both  his  inner  and  his  outer  Hfe, 
just  as  it  was.  In  doing  this  I  have  very  often  availed 
myself  of  his  own  words.  Going  beyond  these,  I  have 
striven  neither  to  keep  back  nor  to  exaggerate  any- 
thing that  deserves  a  place  in  this  record.  All  the 
while  the  preparation  of  this  book  has  been  going 
forward  in  my  hands  my  appreciation  of  the  magni- 
tude of  the  man  and  of  his  work  has  been  increasing. 
Great  is  the  story  of  his  career.  If  this  does  not 
appear  so  to  any  reader  who  has  the  mind  and  the 
heart  to  appreciate  it,  then  the  fault  is  mine.  It, 
in  that  case,  is  in  the  telling,  and  not  in  the  matter 
of  the  book,  that  the  defect  lies. 

So  many  relatives  and  acquaintances  of  Dr.  Mateer 
have  contributed  valuable  material,  on  which  I 
have  drawn  freely,  that  I  dare  not  try  to  mention 
them  here  by  name.  It  is  due,  however,  to  Mrs. 
J.  M.  Kirkwood  to  acknowledge  that  much  of  the 
chapter  on  ''The  Old  Home"  is  based  on  a  mono- 
graph she  prepared  in  advance  of  the  writing  of  this 
biography.  It  is  due  also  to  Mrs.  Ada  H.  Mateer 
to  acknowledge  the  very  extensive  and  varied  assist- 
ance which  she  has  rendered  in  the  writing  of  this 
book:  first,  by  putting  the  material  already  on  hand 
into  such  shape  that  the  biographer's  labors  have 
been  immensely  lightened,  and  later,  by  furnishing 
with  her  own  pen  much  additional  information,  and 
by  her  wise,  practical  suggestions. 

D.  W.  F. 

WASmNGTON,   191 1 


CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 


THE  OLD  HOME 

"There  are  all  the  fond  recollections  and  associations  of  my 
youth." — JOURNAL,  March  4,  1857. 

CALVIN  Wn.SON  MATEER,  of  whose  Hfe 
and  work  this  book  is  to  tell,  was  born  in 
Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  near 
Shiremanstown,  a  few  miles  west  of  Harrisburg,  on 
January  9,  1836. 

This  Cumberland  valley,  in  which  he  first  saw  the 
light,  is  one  of  the  fairest  regions  in  all  our  country. 
Beginning  at  the  great,  broad  Susquehanna,  almost 
in  sight  of  his  birthplace,  it  stretches  far  away,  a 
little  to  the  southwest,  on  past  Chambersburg,  and 
across  the  state  hne,  and  by  way  of  Hagerstown,  to 
its  other  boundary,  drawn  by  a  second  and  equally 
majestic  stream,  the  historic  Potomac.  Physically 
considered,  the  splendid  Shenandoah  valley,  still 
beyond  in  Virginia,  is  a  further  extension  of  the  same 
depression.  It  is  throughout  a  most  attractive 
panorama  of  gently  rolling  slopes  and  vales,  of  fertile 
and  highly  cultivated  farms,  of  great  springs  of  purest 
water  and  of  purhng  brooks,  of  little  parks  of  trees 

15 


16  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

spared  by  the  woodman's  ax,  of  comfortable  and 
tasteful  rural  homes,  of  prosperous  towns  and  villages 
where  church  spires  and  school  buildings  and  the  con- 
veniences of  modern  civiHzation  bear  witness  to  the 
high  character  of  the  people, — all  of  this  usually  set 
like  a  picture  in  a  framework  of  the  blue  and  not  very 
rugged,  or  very  high,  wooded  mountains  between 
which,  in  their  more  or  less  broken  ranges,  the  entire 
valley  lies. 

True,  it  was  winter  when  this  infant  first  looked 
out  on  that  world  about  him,  but  it  was  only  waiting 
for  spring  to  take  off  its  swaddling  of  white,  and  to 
clothe  it  with  many-hued  garments.  Twenty-eight 
years  afterward,  almost  to  the  very  day,  he,  cast 
ashore  on  the  coast  of  China,  was  struggHng  over 
the  roadless  and  snow  covered  and,  to  him,  wholly 
unknown  ground  toward  the  place  near  which  he 
was  to  do  the  work  of  his  life,  and  where  his  body 
rests  in  the  grave.  When  he  died,  in  his  seventy- 
third  year,  the  spiritual  spring  for  which  he  had 
prayed  and  longed  and  labored  had  not  yet  fully 
come,  but  there  were  many  indications  of  its  not 
distant  approach. 

John  Mateer,  the  father  of  Calvin,  was  born  in  this 
beautiful  Cumberland  valley,  on  a  farm  which  was  a 
part  of  a  large  tract  of  land  entered  by  the  Mateers 
as  first  settlers,  out  of  whose  hands,  however,  it  had 
almost  entirely  passed  at  the  date  when  this  biog- 
raphy begins.  The  mother  of  Calvin  was  born  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  York.     Her  maiden  name  was 


THE  OLD   HOME  17 

Mary  Nelson  Diven.  Both  father  and  mother  were 
of  that  Scotch-Irish  descent  to  which  especially 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  are  indebted  for  so  many 
of  their  best  people;  and  they  both  had  behind  them  - 
a  long  line  of  sturdy,  honorable  and  God-fearing 
ancestors.  ^ 

At  the  time  of  Calvin's  birth  his  parents  were  living 
in  a  frame  house  which  is  still  standing;  and  though, 
with  the  passing  of  years,  it  has  much  deteriorated, 
it  gives  evidence  that  it  was  a  comfortable  though 
modest  home  for  the  little  family. 

One  of  the  employments  of  his  father  while  resident 
there  was  the  running  of  a  water  mill  for  hulling  clover 
seed;  and  Calvin  tells  somewhere  of  a  recollection 
that  he  used  to  wish  when  a  very  little  boy  that  he 
were  tall  enough  to  reach  a  lever  by  which  he  could 
turn  on  more  water  to  make  the  mill  go  faster, — a 
childish  anticipation  of  his  remarkable  mechanical 
ability  and  versatility  in  maturer  years. 

Calvin    was    the    oldest    of    seven    children — five  j 
brothers  and  two  sisters;   in  the  order  of  age,  Calvin  * 
Wilson,  Jennie,  William  Diven,  John  Lowrie,  Robert 
McCheyne,   Horace   Nelson   and   Lillian,    of   whom 
Jennie,  William,  Robert  and  Horace  are  still  Kving.  \ 
Of  these  seven  children,  Calvin  and  Robert  became 
ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  missionaries  in  Shantung,  China;    John  for  five 
years  had  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission  Press 
at  Shanghai,  and  later  of  the  Congregational  Press  at 
Peking,  where  he  died;    LilHan  taught  in  the  Girls' 


18  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

School  at  Tengchow,  and,  after  her  marriage  to  Rev. 
William  S.  Walker,  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Mission, 
in  the  school  at  Shanghai,  until  the  failing  health  of 
her  husband  compelled  her  to  return  to  the  United 
States;  William  for  a  good  while  was  strongly  dis- 
posed to  offer  himself  for  the  foreign  missionary  ser- 
vice, and  reluctantly  acting  on  advice,  turned  from  it 
to  business.  Jennie  married  an  exceptionally  prom- 
ising young  Presbyterian  minister,  and  both  offered 
themselves  to  the  foreign  work  and  were  under 
appointment  to  go  to  China  when  health  considera- 
tions compelled  them  to  remain  in  their  homeland. 
Some  years  after  his  death  she  married  a  college  pro- 
fessor of  fine  ability.  Horace  is  a  professor  in  the 
University  of  Wooster,  and  a  practicing  physician. 

In  view  of  this  very  condensed  account  of  the  re- 
markable life  and  work  of  the  children  in  this  house- 
hold, one  may  well  crave  to  know  more  about  the 
parents,  and  about  the  home  life  in  the  atmosphere 
of   which   they  were   nurtured.     Their    father   and 
mother  both   had   the  elementary  education   which 
could  be  furnished  in  their  youth  by  the  rural  schools 
during  the  brief  terms  for  which  they  were  held  each 
year.     In   addition,    the   mother   attended   a   select 
'   school  in  Harrisburg  for  a  time.     Both  father  and 
mother  built  well  on  this  early  foundation,  forming 
the  habit  of  wise,  careful  reading.     Both  were  pro- 
fessing Christians  when   they  were  married,  and  in 
1  infancy  Calvin  was  baptized  in  the  old  Silver  Spring 
\  Church,  near  which  they  resided.     Later  the  father 


THE   OLD  HOME  19 

became  a  ruKng    elder  in  the   Presbyterian  church 
to  which  they  had   removed  their  membership.     In 
this   capacity   he   was   highly   esteemed,    his   pastor 
relying  especially  on  his  just,  discerning  judgment. 
He  had  a  beautiful  tenor  voice  and  a  fine  musical 
sense,  and  he  led  the  choir  for  a  number  of  years. 
Few  laymen  in  the  church  at  large  were  better  in-j 
formed  as  to  its  doctrines  and  history,  and  few  were ' 
more   familiar   with   the   Bible.     There   was   in   the 
church  a  library  from  which  books  were  regularly 
brought  home ;   religious  papers  were  taken  and  read , 
by  the  whole  family,  and  thus  all  were  acquainted ; 
with  the  current  news  of  the  churches,  and  with  the ' 
progress  of  the  gospel  in  the  world.  [ 

In  the  conduct  of  his  farm  Mr.  Mateer  was  thrifty, 
industrious  and  economical.  His  land  did  not  yield 
very  bountifully,  but  all  of  its  products  were  so  well 
husbanded  that  notwithstanding  the  size  of  his  family 
he  yet  accumulated  considerable  property.  Though 
somewhat  reluctant  at  first  to  have  his  boys  one  after 
another  leave  him,  thus  depriving  him  of  their  help 
on  the  farm,  he  aided  each  to  the  extent  of  his  abihty, 
and  as  they  successively  fitted  themselves  for  larger 
lives  he  rejoiced  in  their  achievements. 

INIr.  Mateer  died  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  in  1875. 
When  the  tidings  reached  Calvin  out  in  China,  he 
wrote  home  to  his  mother  a  beautiful  letter,  in  which 
among  other  things  he  said:  ''Father's  death  was 
eminently  characteristic  of  his  life — modest,  quiet 
and   self-suppressed.      He    died    the    death   of    the 


20  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

righteous  and  has  gone  to  a  righteous  man's  reward. 
The  message  he  sent  John  and  me  was  not  necessary; 
that  he  should  '  die  trusting  in  Jesus'  was  not  news  to 
us,  for  we  knew  how  he  had  Kved." 

By  reading  the  records  that  have  been  at  my  com- 
mand I  have  gotten  the  conviction  that  the  mother 
was  the  stronger  character,  or  at  least  that  she  more 
deeply  impressed  herself  on  the  children.  When 
Calvin  made  his  last  visit  to  this  country,  he  was  asked 
whose  influence  had  been  most  potent  in  his  life,  and 
he  at  once  replied,  "Mother's."  In  his  personal 
appearance  he  strongly  resembled  her.  If  one  could 
have  wished  for  any  change  in  his  character,  it  might 
have  been  that  he  should  have  had  in  it  just  a  Kttle 
bit  more  of  the  ideality  of  his  father,  and  just  a  Httle 
bit  less  of  the  intense  realism  of  his  mother.  Some 
of  his  mother's  most  evident  characteristics  were  in 
a  measure  traceable  as  an  inheritance  from  her 
father,  William  Diven;  for  example,  the  place  to 
which  she  assigned  education  among  the  values  of 
life.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  literary  attain- 
ments, for  his  day,  and  for  one  residing  out  in  the 
country ;  so  that  when  in  later  years  he  came  to  make 
his  home  with  the  Mateers  he  brought  with  him  a 
collection  of  standard  books,  thus  furnishing  addi- 
tional and  substantial  reading  for  the  family.  Even 
Shakspere  and  Burns  were  among  the  authors,  though 
they  were  not  placed  where  the  children  could  have 
access  to  them,  and  were  made  familiar  to  them  only 
by  the  grandfather's   quotation  of  choice   passages. 


DR.  MATEERS    MOTHER 


THE  OLD  HOME  21 

When  his  daughter  was  a  little  girl,  so  intense  was  his 
desire  that  she  should  have  as  good  an  education  as 
practicable,  that  if  the  weather  was  too  inclement  for 
her  to  walk  to  the  schoolhouse  he  used  to  carry  her 
on  his  back.  It  was  her  Ufelong  regret  that  her  educa- 
tion was  so  defective ;  and  it  is  said  that  after  she  was 
seventy  years  of  age,  once  she  dreamed  that  she  was 
sent  to  school  at  Mount  Holyoke,  and  she  awoke  in 
tears  to  find  that  she  was  white-haired,  and  that  it  was 
,  only  a  dream.  Although  it  involved  the  sacrifice  of 
her  own  strength  and  ease,  she  never  faltered  in  her 
determination  that  her  children  should  have  the 
educational  advantages  to  which  she  had  aspired, 
<|  but  never  attained;  and  in  what  they  reached  in  this 
'i  direction  she  had  a  rich  satisfaction.  Toward  every 
other  object  which  she  conceived  to  be  good  and  true, 
and  to  be  within  the  scope  of  her  life,  she  set  herself 
with  Hke  persistence,  and  strength,  and  willingness 
for  self-sacrifice.  Her  piety  was  deep,  thorough  and 
all-controlling;  but  with  her  it  was  a  principle  rather 
than  a  sentiment.  Its  chief  aim  was  the  promotion 
of  the  glory  of  the  infinitely  holy  God,  though  as  she 
neared  the  visible  presence  of  her  Saviour,  this 
softened  somewhat  into  a  conscious  love  and  faith 
toward  him.  She  survived  her  husband  twenty-one 
years,  and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine. 
When  the  tidings  of  this  came  to  her  children  in  China, 
their  chief  lament  was,  "How  we  shall  miss  her 
prayers!" 

When  Calvin  was  about  five  years  old,  his  parents 


22  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

\^  bought  a  farm  twelve  miles  north  of  Gettysburg,  near 
what  is  now  York  Springs,  in  Adams  County.  It 
is  some  twenty  miles  from  the  place  of  his  birth,  and 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  Cumberland  valley.  Even 
now  it  is  a  comparatively  out-of-the-way  spot,  reached 
only  by  a  long  drive  from  the  nearest  railway  station ; 
then  it  was  so  secluded  that  the  Mateers  called  the 
house  into  which  they  removed  the  ''Hermitage.'' 
Here  the  family  continued  to  reside  until  about  the 
time  of  Calvin's  graduation  from  college.  Then  a 
second  and  much  longer  move  was  made,  to  Mercer 
County,  in  western  Pennsylvania.  Still  later,  a  third 
mxigration  brought  them  to  Illinois.  It  is  to  the  home 
in  Adams  County  that  Calvin  refers  in  the  line  quoted 
at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  as  the  place  where  "were 
all  the  fond  recollections  and  associations"  of  his 
youth. 

The  farm  was  not  very  large,  and  the  soil  was  only 

moderately  productive,  notwithstanding  the  labor  and 

skill  that  the  Mateers  put  upon  it.     In  picking  off 

!  the  broken  slate  stones  which  were  turned  up  thick 

by  the  plow,  the  children  by  hard  experience  were 

\  I  trained  in  patient  industry  as  to  small  details.  At 
1  least  the  two  elder  frequently  beguiled  the  tedium 
of  this  task  ''by  reciting  portions  of  the  Westminster 
Catechism  and  long  passages  of  Scripture."  Another 
really  tedious  occupation,  which,  however,  was  con- 
verted into  a  sort  of  late  autumn  feast  of  ingathering, 
was  shared  by  the  whole  family,  but  was  especially 
appreciated    by    the    children.     This    was    the    nut 


THE  OLD  HOME  23 

harvest  of  the  "shellbark"  hickory  trees  of  the  forest. 
As  many  as  fifty  or  more  bushels  were  gathered  in  a 
season;  the  sale  of  these  afforded  a  handsome  supple- 
ment to  the  income  of  the  household.  Along  the  side 
of  the  farm  flows  a  beautiful  stream,  still  bearing  its 
Indian  name  of  Bermudgeon,  and  in  front  of  the  house 
is  a  smaller  creek;  and  in  these  Calvin  fished  and  set 
traps  for  the  muskrats,  and  experimented  with  little 
waterwheels,  and  learned  to  swim.  Up  on  an  eleva- 
tion still  stand  the  old  house  and  barn,  both  con- 
structed of  the  red  brick  once  so  largely  used  in  the 
eastern  section  of  Pennsylvania.  Both  of  these  are 
still  in  use.  Though  showing  signs  of  age  and  lack 
of  care,  they  are  witnesses  that  for  those  days  the 
Mateers  were  quite  up  to  the  better  standard  of  living 
customary  among  their  neighbors.  '^This  growing 
family,"  says  Mrs.  Kirkwood  (Jennie),  ''was  a  hive 
of  industry,  making  most  of  the  implements  used  both 
indoors  and  out,  and  accomplishing  many  tasks  long 
since  relegated  to  the  factory  and  the  shop.  Necessity 
was  with  them  the  mother  not  only  of  invention,  but 
of  execution  as  well.  All  were  up  early  in  the  morning 
eating  breakfast  by  candlelight  even  in  summer, 
and  ready  before  the  sun  had  risen  for  a  day's  work 
that  continued  long  after  twilight  had  fallen."  In 
the  barn  they  not  only  housed  their  horses  and  cattle 
and  the  field  products,  but  also  manufactured  most 
of  the  implements  for  their  agricultural  work.  Here 
Calvin  first  had  his  mechanical  gifts  called  into 
exercise,  sometimes  on  sleds  and  wagons  and  farm 


24  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

tools,  and  sometimes  on  traps  and  other  articles  of 
youthful  sport. 

In  this  home  family  worship  was  held  twice  each 
day, — in  the  morning  often  before  the  day  had  fully 
dawned,  and  in  the  evening  when  the  twilight  was 
vanishing  into  night.  In  this  service  usually  there 
were  not  only  the  reading  of  Scripture  and  the  offering 
of  prayer,  but  also  the  singing  of  praise,  the  fine 
musical  voice  of  the  father  and  his  ability  to  lead  in 
the  tunes  making  this  all  the  more  effective.  Of 
course,  on  the  Sabbath  the  entire  family,  young  and 
old,  so  far  as  practicable,  attended  services  when  held 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  not  far  away.  But  that 
was  not  all  of  the  religious  observances.  The  Sabbath 
was  sacredly  kept,  after  the  old-fashioned  manner 
of  putting  away  the  avoidable  work  of  the  week,  and 
of  giving  exceptional  attention  to  sacred  things.  Mrs. 
Kirkwood,  who  was  near  enough  in  age  to  be  the 
"chum"  of  Calvin,  writes:  "Among  the  many  living 
pictures  which  memory  holds  of  those  years,  there  is 
one  of  a  large,  airy,  farmhouse  kitchen,  on  a  Sabbath 
afternoon.  The  table,  with  one  leaf  raised  to  afford 
space  for  'Scott'  and  *  Henry,'  stands  between  two 
doors  that  look  out  upon  tree-shaded,  flower-filled 
yards.  There  sits  the  mother,  with  open  books  spread 
all  about  her,  studying  the  Bible  lesson  for  herself  and 
for  her  children.  Both  parents  and  children  attended  a 
pastor's  class  in  which  the  old  Sunday  School  Union 
Question  Book  was  used.  In  this  many  references  were 
given  which  the  children  were  required  to  commit. 


THE  OLD  HOME  25 

Older  people  read  them  from  their  Bibles,  but  these 
children  memorized  them.  Some  of  the  longer  ones 
could  never  be  repeated  in  after  times  without 
awakening  associations  of  the  muscularizing  mental 
tussles  of  those  early  days."  It  was  a  part  of  the 
rehgious  training  of  each  child  in  that  household, 
just  as  soon  as  able  to  read,  to  commit  to  memory 
the  Westminster  Shorter  Catechism, — not  so  as  to 
blunder  through  the  answers  in  some  sort  of  fashion, 
but  so  as  to  recite  them  all,  no  matter  how  long  or 
difficult,  without  mistaking  so  much  as  an  article  or  a 
preposition. 

Stories  are  handed  down  concerning  the  boy  Calvin 
at  home,  some  of  which  foreshadow  characteristics 
of  his  later  years.  One  of  these  must  suffice  here. 
The  ''Hermitage,"  when  the  Mateers  came  into  it, 
was  popularly  believed  to  be  haunted  by  a  former 
occupant  whose  grave  was  in  an  old  deserted  Epis- 
copal churchyard  about  a  mile  away.  The  grave  was 
sunken,  and  it  was  asserted  that  it  w^ould  not  remain 
filled.  It  was  also  rumored  that  in  the  gloomy  woods 
by  which  the  place  was  surrounded  a  headless  man 
had  been  seen  wandering  at  night.  Nevertheless 
the  Mateer  children  often  went  up  there  on  a  Sabbath 
afternoon,  and  entered  the  never-closed  door,  to  view 
the  Bible  and  books  and  desk,  which  were  left  just 
as  they  had  been  when  services  long  before  had  ceased 
to  be  held;  or  wandered  about  the  graves,  picking  the 
moss  from  the  inscriptions  on  the  headstones,  in 
order  to  see  who  could  find  the  oldest.     It  was  a 


26  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

place  that,  of  course,  was  much  avoided  at  night; 
for  had  not  restless  white  forms  been  seen  moving 
about  among  these  burial  places  of  the  dead?  The 
boy  Calvin  had  been  in  the  habit  of  running  by  it 
in  the  late  evening  with  fast-beating  heart.  One 
dark  night  he  went  and  climbed  up  on  the  graveyard 
fence,  resolved  to  sit  in  that  supremely  desolate  and 
uncanny  spot  till  he  had  mastered  the  superstitious 
fear  associated  with  it.  The  owls  hooted,  and  other 
night  sounds  were  intensified  by  the  loneliness,  but 
he  successfully  passed  his  chosen  ordeal,  and  won  a 
victory  worth  the  effort.  In  a  youthful  way  he  was 
disciplining  himself  for  more  difficult  ordeals  in  China. 


II 

THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MAN 

"It  has  been  said,  and  with  truth,  that  when  one  has  finished 
his  course  in  an  ordinary  college,  he  knows  just  enough  to  be 
sensible  of  his  own  ignorance." — letter  to  his  mother,  Janu- 
ary 15,  1857. 

^  Ij  '^HE  letter  from  which  the  sentence  at  the  head 
of  this  chapter  is  taken  was  written  a  week 
after  Mateer  had  reached  his  twenty-first  year 
and  when  he  was  almost  half  advanced  in  his  senior 
year  in  college.  Later  in  the  letter  he  says:  "Im- 
provement and  advancement  need  not,  and  should 
not,  stop  with  a  college  life.  We  should  be  advancing 
in  knowledge  so  long  as  we  live."  With  this  under- 
standing we  may  somewhat  arbitrarily  set  his  gradua- 
tion from  college  as  terminating  the  period  of  his  life 
covered  by  what  I  have  designated  as  "the  making 
of  the  man." 

Back  of  all  else  lay  his  native  endowments  of  body 
and  of  mind.  Physically  he  was  exceptionally  free 
from  both  inherited  and  acquired  weaknesses.  In  a 
letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  near  relatives  in  this 
country  on  the  occasion  of  his  seventieth  birthday, 
he  said,  "I  have  not  only  hved,  but  I  have  enjoyed 
an  exceptional  measure  of  health."  At  no  period  was 
he  laid  aside  by  protracted  sickness.     At  the  same 

27 


28  CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

time,  this  must  not  be  understood  to  signify  that  he 
had  one  of  those  iron  constitutions  that  seem  to  be 
capable  of  enduring  without  harm  every  sort  of 
exposure  except  such  as  in  its  nature  must  be  mortal. 
In  that  part  of  his  Journal  covering  portions  of  his 
college  and  seminary  work  he  often  tells  of  a  lassitude 
for  which  he  blames  himself  as  morally  at  fault,  but 
in  which  a  physician  would  have  seen  symptoms  of  a 
low  bodily  tone.  Bad  food,  lack  of  exercise  and  ill 
treatment  on  the  voyage  wliich  first  brought  him  to 
China  left  him  with  a  temporary  attack  of  dyspepsia. 
Occasionally  he  had  dysentery,  and  once  he  had 
erysipelas.  At  no  time  did  he  regard  himself  as  so 
rugged  in  constitution  that  he  did  not  need  to  pro- 
vide himself  with  proper  clothing  and  shelter,  so  far 
as  practicable.  Nevertheless  it  was  because  of  the 
sound  physique  inherited  from  his  parents,  and  fos- 
tered by  his  country  Hfe  during  early  youth,  that 
without  any  serious  breaking  down  of  health  or 
strength  he  was  able  to  endure  the  privations  and  the 
toils  and  cares  of  his  forty-five  years  in  China. 

As  to  his  native  mental  endowments,  no  one  would 
have  been  more  ready  than  he  to  deny  that  he  was  a 
"genius,"  if  by  this  is  meant  that  he  had  an  abihty 
offhand  to  do  important  things  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  which  others  require  study  and  effort.  If, 
as  to  this,  any  exception  ought  to  be  made  in  his  favor, 
it  would  be  concerning  some  of  the  applied  sciences  and 
machinery,  and  possibly  mathematics.  He  certainly 
had  an  extraordinary  aptitude  especially  as  to  the 


THE   MAKING  OF  THE   MAN        29 

former  of  these.  While  he  himself  regarded  his  work 
in  the  Mandarin  as  perhaps  the  greatest  of  his  achieve- 
ments, he  had  no  such  talent  for  the  mastery  of  foreign 
languages  that  he  did  not  need  time  and  toil  and 
patience  to  learn  them.  In  college  his  best  standing 
was  not  in  Latin  or  Greek.  In  China  other  mis- 
sionaries have  been  able  to  preach  in  the  native 
tongue  after  as  short  a  period  of  preparation;  and 
the  perfect  command  of  the  language  which  he  at- 
tained came  only  after  years  of  ceaseless  toil. 

Such  were  his  native  physical  and  mental  endow- 
ments: a  good,  sound,  though  not  unusually  rugged, 
bodily  constitution;  and  an  intellect  vigorous  in  all 
of  its  faculties,  which  was  in  degree  not  so  superior 
as  to  set  him  on  a  pedestal  by  himself,  yet  was  very 
considerably  above  the  average  even  of  college 
students. 

Concerning  the  qualities  of  liis  heart  and  of  his  will 
it  is  best  to  wait  and  speak  later  in  this  volume. 

In  the  making  of  a  man  native  endowments  are 
only  the  material  out  of  which  and  on  which  to  build. 
Beyond  these,  what  we  become  depends  on  our 
opportunities  and  the  use  to  which  we  put  them. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  old  home  had  much  to  do 
with  the  unfolding  of  the  subsequent  life  and  character 
of  Mateer.  Some  of  his  leading  quahties  were  there 
grown  into  his  being. 

Other  powerful  influences  also  had  a  large  share  in 
his  development.  About  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
from    the    ^'Hermitage"    stood   a   township   school- 


30  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

house,  a  small  brick  building,  ''guiltless  alike  of  paint 
or  comfort,"  most  primitive  in  its  furnishing,  and 
open  for  instruction  only  five  or  six  months  each  year, 
and  this  in  the  winter.  The  pressure  of  work  in  the 
house  and  on  the  farm  never  was  allowed  to  interrupt 
the  attendance  of  the  Mateer  children  at  this  little 
center  of  learning  for  the  neighborhood.  Of  course, 
the  teachers  usually  were  qualified  only  to  conduct 
the  pupils  over  the  elementary  branches,  and  no 
provision  was  made  in  the  curriculum  for  anything 
beyond  these.  But  it  so  happened  that  for  two  winters 
Calvin  had  as  his  schoolmaster  there  James  Dufheld, 
who  is  described  by  one  of  his  pupils  still  Hving  as 
*'a  genius  in  his  profession,  much  in  advance  of  his 
times,  and  quite  superior  to  those  who  preceded  and 
to  those  who  came  after  him.  In  appearance  Dufheld 
was  awkward  and  shy.  His  large  hands  and  feet 
were  ever  in  his  way,  except  when  before  a  class; 
then  he  was  suddenly  at  ease,  absorbed  in  the  work 
of  teaching,  alert,  full  of  vitality,  with  an  enthusiasm 
for  mastery,  and  an  intellectual  power  that  made 
every  subject  alive  with  interest,  leaving  his  impress 
upon  each  one  of  his  pupils."  Algebra  was  not  recog- 
nized as  falling  within  the  legitimate  instruction,  and 
no  suspicion  that  any  boy  or  girl  was  studying  it 
entered  the  minds  of  the  plain  farmers  who  constituted 
the  official  visitors.  One  day  a  friend  of  the  teacher, 
a  scholarly  man,  came  in  at  the  time  when  the  exam- 
inations were  proceeding,  and  the  teacher  sprang  a 
surprise  by  asking  this  friend  whether  he  would  Hke 


THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MAN        31 

to  see  one  of  his  pupils  solve  a  problem  in  algebra. 
.^He  had  discerned  the  mathematical  bent  of  the  lad, 
Calvin  Mateer,  and  out  of  school  hours  and  just  for 
the  satisfaction  of  it  he  had  privately  been  giving 
]  the  boy  lessons  in  that  study.     When  an  afhrmative 
-response  was  made  by  the  stranger,  Calvin  went  to 
the  blackboard  and  soon  covered  half  of  it  with  a 
solution    of    an    algebraic   problem.     Surprised    and 
delighted,  the  stranger  tested  the  lad  with  problem 
after  problem,  some  of  them  the  hardest  in  the  text- 
book in  use,  only  to  find  him  able  to  solve  them.     It 
would  have  been  difficult  to  discover  which  of  the 
three  principal  parties  to  the  examination,  the  visitor, 
the  teacher,  or  the  pupil,  was  most  gratified  by  the 
outcome.     There  can  be  no  question  that  this  country 
'  school-teacher  had  much  to  do  with  awakening  the 
mathematical  capabilities  and  perhaps  others  of  the 
intellectual    gifts   which    characterized    that   lad    in 
manhood  and  throughout  life. 

When  Calvin  was  in  his  seventeenth  year,  he  started 
in  his  pursuit  of  higher  education,  entering  a  small 
academy  at  Hunterstown,  eight  miles  from  the 
'' Hermitage."  In  this  step  he  had  the  stimulating 
encouragement  of  his  mother,  whose  quenchless 
passion  for  education  has  already  been  described. 
His  father  probably  would  at  that  time  have  preferred 
that  he  should  remain  at  home  and  help  on  the  farm; 
and  occasionally,  for  some  years,  the  question  whether 
he  ought  not  to  have  fallen  in  with  the  paternal  wish 
caused  him  serious  thought.     As  it  was,  he  came  home 


32  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

from  the  academy  in  the  spring,  and  in  the  autumn 
and  also  at  harvest,  to  assist  in  the  work. 

The  first  term  he  began  Latin,  and  the  second  term 
Greek,  and  he  kept  his  mathematics  well  in  hand, 
thus  distinctly  setting  his  face  toward  college.  But 
his  pecuniary  means  were  narrow,  and  in  the  winter  of 
\  1853-54  he  had  to  turn  aside  to  teach  a  country  school 
some  three  miles  from  his  home.  In  a  brief  bio- 
graphical sketch  which,  by  request  of  his  college 
classmates,  he  furnished  for  the  fortieth  anniversary 
of  their  graduation  he  says:  "This  was  a  hard  ex- 
perience. I  was  not  yet  eighteen  and  looked  much 
younger.  Many  of  the  scholars  were  young  men  and 
women,  older  than  I,  and  there  was  a  deal  of  rowdyism 
in  the  district.  I  held  my  own,  however,  and  finished 
with  credit,  and  grew  in  experience  more  than  in  any 
other  period  of  my  life." 

When  the  school  closed  he  returned  to  the  academy, 
which  by  that  time  had  passed  into  the  hands  of 
S.  B.  Mercer,  in  whom  he  found  a  teacher  of  excep- 
tional ability,  both  as  to  scholarship  and  as  to  the 
stimulation  of  his  students  to  do  and  to  be  the  best 
that  was  possible  to  them.  In  the  spring  of  1855 
Mr.  Mercer  left  the  Hunterstown  Academy,  and 
went  to  Merrittstown,  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  took  charge  of  the  Dunlaps  Creek  Academy. 
Calvin,  influenced  by  his  attachment  to  his  teacher, 
and  also  by  his  intention  to  enter  Jefferson  College, 
situated  in  a  neighboring  county,  went  with  him. 
Here  he  made  his  home,  with  other  students,  in  the 


THE   MAKING  OF  THE   MAN        33 

house  occupied  by  the  Mercers.  For  teaching  two 
classes,  one  in  geometry  and  one  in  Greek,  he  received 
his  tuition.  For  the  ostensible  reason  that  he  had 
come  so  far  to  enter  the  academy  he  was  charged  a 
reduced  price  for  his  board.  All  the  way  down  to 
the  completion  of  his  course  in  the  theological  seminary 
he  managed  to  live  upon  the  means  furnished  in  part 
from  home,  and  substantially  supplemented  by  his 
own  labors;  but  he  had  to  practice  rigid  economy. 
It  was  while  at  Merrittstowh  that  he  made  a  pubHc 
profession  of  religion.  This  was  only  a  few  months 
before  he  entered  college.  He  found  in  Dr.  Samuel 
Wilson,  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  a 
preacher  and  a  man  who  won  his  admiration  and 
esteem,  and  who  so  encouraged  and  directed  him  that 
he  took  this  step. 

In  the  autumn  of  1855  he  entered  the  junior  class  of 
Jefferson  College,  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania.  In 
those  days  it  was  customary  for  students  to  be 
admitted  further  advanced  as  to  enrollment  than  at 
present.  I  had  myself  preceded  Mateer  one  year, 
entering  as  a  sophomore  in  the  same  class  into  which 
he  first  came  as  a  junior.  One  reason  for  this  state 
of  things  was  that  the  requirements  were  considerably 
lower  than  they  now  are;  and  they  were  often  laxly 
enforced.  Then,  because  the  range  of  studies  required 
was  very  limited  in  kind,  consisting  until  the  junior 
year  almost  exclusively  of  Latin,  Greek  and  mathe- 
matics, it  was  possible  for  the  preparatory  schools  to 

.  carry  the  work  of  their  students  well  up  into  the 

*  3 


34  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

j  curriculum  of  the  college.  Mateer  had  the  advantage, 
besides,  of  such  an  excellent  instructor  as  Professor 
Mercer,  and  of  experience  in  teaching.  He  says:  ''I 
was  poorly  prepared  for  this  class,  but  managed  to 
squeeze  in.  The  professor  of  Latin  wanted  me  to 
make  up  some  work  which  I  had  not  done;  but  I 
demurred,  and  I  recollect  saying  to  him,  '  If  after  a 
term  you  still  think  I  ought  to  make  it  up,  I  will  do 
it,  or  fall  back  to  the  sophomore  class.'  I  never 
heard  of  it  afterwards.  I  was  very  green  and  bashful 
when  I  went  to  college,  an  unsophisticated  farmer's 
boy  from  a  little  country  academy.  I  knew  Httle  or 
nothing  of  the  ways  of  the  world." 

As  his  classmate  in  college,  and  otherwise  closely 
associated  with  him  as  a  fellow-student,  I  knew  him 
well.  I  remember  still  with  a  good  deal  of  distinctness 
his  appearance;  he  was  rather  tall,  light-haired,  with 
a  clear  and  intelligent  countenance,  and  a  general 
physique  that  indicated  thorough  soundness  of  body, 
though  not  excessively  developed  in  any  member. 
When  I  last  saw  him  at  Los  Angeles  a  few  years  ago,  I 
could  perceive  no  great  change  in  his  looks,  except 
such  as  is  inevitable  from  the  flight  of  years,  and  from 
his  large  and  varied  experience  of  life.  It  seems  to 
me  that  it  ought  to  be  easy  for  any  of  his  acquain- 
tances of  later  years  to  form  for  themselves  a  picture 
of  him  in  his  young  manhood  at  the  college  and  at 
the  theological  seminary.  So  far  as  I  can  now  recall, 
he  came  to  college  unheralded  as  to  what  might  be 
expected  of  him  there.     He  did  not  thrust  himself 


THE   MAKING  OF  THE   MAN        35 

forward;  but  it  was  not  long  until  by  his  work  and 
his  thorough  manliness,  it  became  evident  that  in  him 
the  class  had  received  an  addition  that  was  sure  to 
count  heavily  in  all  that  was  of  importance  to  a  stu- 
dent. I  do  not  think  that  he  joined  any  of  the  Greek 
letter  secret  societies,  though  these  were  at  the  height 
of  their  prosperity  there  at  that  time.  In  the  literary 
societies  he  discharged  well  and  faithfully  his  duties, 
but  he  did  not  stand  out  very  conspicuously  in  the 
exercises  required  of  the  members.  In  those  days 
there  was  plenty  of  ^'college  politics,"  sometimes  very 
petty,  and  sometimes  not  very  creditable,  though 
not  wholly  without  profit  as  a  preparation  for  the 
"rough-and-tumble"  of  life  in  after  years,  but  in 
this  Mateer  did  not  take  much  part.  Most  of  us 
were  still  immature  enough  to  indulge  in  pranks  that 
afforded  us  fun,  but  which  were  more  an  expression  of 
our  immaturity  than  we  then  imagined;  and  Mateer 
participated  in  one  of  these  in  connection  with  the 
Fremont-Buchanan  campaign  in  1856.  A  great  Re- 
pubhcan  meeting  was  held  at  Canonsburg,  and 
some  of  us  students  appeared  in  the  procession  as  a 
burlesque  company  of  Kansas  "border  rufhans." 
We  were  a  sadly  disgraceful-looking  set.  Of  one  thing 
I  am  sure,  that  while  Mateer  gave  himself  constantly 
to  his  duties  and  refrained  from  most  of  the  silly 
things  of  college  life,  he  was  not  by  any  of  us  looked 
upon  as  a  "stick."     He  commanded  our  respect. 

The  faculty  was  small  and  the  equipment  of  the 
college  meager.     The  attendance  was  nearly  three 


36  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

hundred.  As  to  attainments,  we  were  a  mixed  multi- 
tude. To  instruct  all  of  these  there  were — for  both 
regular  and  required  work — only  six  men,  including 
one  for  the  preparatory  department.  What  could 
these  few  do  to  meet  the  needs  of  this  miscellaneous 
crowd?  They  did  their  best,  and  it  was  possible  for 
any  of  us,  especially  for  the  brighter  student,  to  get  a 
great  deal  of  valuable  education  even  under  these 
conditions.  Mateer  in  later  years  acknowledges  his 
indebtedness  to  all  of  the  faculty,  but  particularly  to 
Dr.  A.  B.  Brown,  who  was  our  president  up  to  the 
latter  part  of  our  senior  year;  to  Dr.  Alden,  who 
succeeded  him;  and  to  Professor  Eraser,  who  held  the 
chair  of  mathematics.  Dr.  Brown  was  much  admired 
by  the  students  for  his  rhetorical  abihty  in  the  pulpit 
and  out  of  it.  Dr.  Alden  was  quite  in  contrast  to 
his  predecessor  as  to  many  things.  He  had  long  been 
a  teacher,  and  was  clear  and  concise  in  his  intellectual 
efforts.  Mateer  said,  late  in  life,  that  from  his  drill 
in  moral  science  he  ''got  more  good  than  from  any 
other  one  branch  in  the  course."  Professor  Eraser 
was  a  briUiant,  all-round  scholar  of  the  best  type  then 
prevalent,  and  had  the  enthusiastic  admiration  even 
of  those  students  who  were  little  able  to  appreciate 
his  teaching.  In  the  physical  sciences  the  course 
was  necessarily  still  limited  and  somewhat  elementary. 
His  classmates  remember  the  evident  mastery  which 
^  Mateer  had  of  all  that  was  attempted  by  instruction 
or  by  experimentation  in  that  department.  It  was 
not  possible  to  get  much  of  what  is  called  "  culture '* 


THE   MAKING  OF  THE   MAN        37 

out  of  the  curriculum,  and  that  through  no  fault  of 
the  faculty;  yet  for  the  stimulation  of  the  intellectual 
powers  and  the  unfolding  of  character  there  was  an 
opportunity  such  as  may  be  seriously  lacking  in  the 
conditions  of  college  instruction  in  recent  years. 

These  were  the  palmy  days  of  Jefferson  College. 
She  drew  to  herself  students  not  only  from  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  contiguous  states,  but  also  from  the 
more  distant  regions  of  the  west  and  the  south.  We 
were  dumped  down  there,  a  heterogeneous  lot  of 
young  fellows,  and  outside  of  the  classroom  we  were 
left  for  the  most  part  to  care  for  ourselves.  We 
had  no  luxuries  and  we  were  short  of  comforts.  We 
got  enough  to  eat,  of  a  very  plain  sort,  and  we  got  it 
cheap.  We  were  wholly  unacquainted  with  athletics 
and  other  intercollegiate  goings  and  comings  which 
now  loom  up  so  conspicuously  in  college  life;  but  we 
had,  with  rare  exceptions,  come  from  the  country 
and  the  small  towns,  intent  on  obtaining  an  education 
which  would  help  us  to  make  the  most  of  ourselves 
in  after  years.  As  to  this,  Mateer  was  a  thoroughly 
representative  student.  He  could  not  then  foresee 
his  future  career,  but  he  was  sure  that  in  it  he  dared 
not  hope  for  success  unless  he  made  thoroughly  good 
use  of  his  present,  passing  opportunities.  He  was 
evidently  a  man  who  was  there  for  a  purpose. 

The  class  of  1857  has  always  been  proud  of  itself, 
and  not  without  reason.  Fifty-eight  of  us  received 
our  diplomas  on  commencement.  Among  them  were 
such  leaders  in  the  church  as  George  P.  Hays,  David 


38  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

C.  Marquis  and  Samuel  J.  Niccolls,  all  of  whom  have 
been  Moderators  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  law,  S.  C.  T.  Dodd, 
for  many  years  the  principal  solicitor  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company,  stands  out  most  conspicuously.  Three 
of  our  number  have  served  for  longer  or  shorter  periods 
as  college  presidents.  Of  Doctors  of  Divinity  we  have 
a  long  Hst,  and  also  a  goodly  number  of  Doctors  of 
Law;  and  others,  though  they  have  received  less 
recognition  for  their  work,  have  in  our  judgment  es- 
caped only  because  the  world  does  not  always  know 
the  worth  of  quiet  lives.  To  spend  years  in  the  asso- 
ciations of  such  a  class  in  college  is  itself  an  efficient 
means  of  education.  It  is  a  high  tribute  to  the  ability 
and  the  diligence  of  Mateer  that,  although  he  was  with 
us  only  two  years,  he  divided  the  first  honor.  The 
sharer  with  him  in  this  distinction  was  the  youngest 
member  of  the  class,  but  a  man  who,  in  addition  to 
unusual  capacity,  also  had  enjoyed  the  best  prepara- 
tion for  college  then  available.  On  the  part  of 
Mateer,  it  was  not  what  is  known  as  genius  that 
won  the  honor;  it  was  a  combination  of  solid  intel- 
lectual capacity,  with  hard,  constant  work.  The  fac- 
ulty assigned  him  the  valedictory,  the  highest  distinc- 
tion at  graduation,  but  on  his  own  solicitation,  this 
was  given  to  the  other  first  honor  man. 

In  a  letter  sent  by  him  from  Wei  Hsien,  China, 
September  4,  1907,  in  answer  to  a  message  addressed 
to  him  by  the  little  remnant  of  his  classmates  who 
assembled  at  Canonsburg  a  couple  of  months  earlier, 


THE   MAKING  OF  THE   MAN        39 

to  celebrate  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  gradua- 
tion, he  said: 

It  was  with  very  peculiar  feelings  of  pleasure 
mingled  with  sadness  that  I  read  what  was  done  by 
you  at  your  meeting.  The  distance  that  separated 
me  from  you  all  adds  a  pecuKar  emphasis  to  my 
feehngs,  suggestive  of  lonehness.  I  have  never  been 
homesick  in  China.  I  would  not  be  elsewhere  than 
where  I  am,  nor  doing  any  other  work  than  what  I  am 
doing.  Yet  when  I  read  over  the  account  of  that 
meeting  in  Canonsburg  my  feehngs  were  such  as  I 
have  rarely  had  before.  Separated  by  half  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  globe  for  full  forty-four  years,  yet 
in  the  retrospect  the  friendship  formed  in  these  years 
of  fellowship  in  study  seems  to  grow  fresher  and 
stronger  as  our  numbers  grow  less.  A  busy  life  gives 
httle  time  for  retrospection,  yet  I  often  think  of  coUege 
days  and  college  friends.  Very  few  things  in  my 
early  hfe  have  preserved  their  impression  so  well. 
I  can  still  repeat  the  roll  of  our  class,  and  I  remember 
well  how  we  sat  in  that  old  recitation  room  of  Pro- 
fessor Jones  [physics  and  chemistry].  I  am  in  the 
second  half  of  my  seventy-second  year,  strong  and 
well.  China  has  agreed  with  me.  I  have  spent  my 
life  itinerating,  teaching  and  translating,  with  chief 
strength  on  teaching.  But  with  us  all  who  are  left, 
the  meridian  of  life  is  past,  and  the  evening  draws 
on.  Yet  a  few  of  us  have  still  some  work  to  do.  Let 
us  strive  to  do  it  well,  and  add  what  we  can  to  the 
aggregate  achievement  of  the  class's  hfe  work — a 
record  of  which  I  trust  none  of  us  may  be  ashamed. 

In  the  unanticipated  privilege  of  writing  this  book 
I  am  trying  to  f ulhU  that  wish  of  our  revered  classmate. 


Ill 

FINDING  HIS  LIFE  WORK 

"From  my  youth  I  had  the  missionary  Vv^ork  before  me  as  a 
dim  vision.  A  half-formed  resolution  was  all  the  while  in  my 
mind,  though  I  spoke  of  it  to  no  one.  But  for  this  it  is  question- 
able whether  I  would  have  given  up  teaching  to  go  to  the 
Seminary.  After  long  consideration  and  many  prayers  I 
ofifered  myself  to  the  Board,  and  was  accepted." — autobi- 
ographical SKETCH  for  college  class  anniversary,  1897. 

IN  the  four  sentences  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  we 
have  a  condensed  outline  of  the  process  by  which 
Calvin  Mateer  came  to  be  a  foreign  missionary. 
In  his  case  it  did  not,  as  in  the  antecedent  experience 
of  most  other  clergymen  who  have  given  themselves 
to  this  work,  start  with  an  attraction  first  toward  the 
ministry,  and  then  toward  the  missionary  service; 
but  just  the  reverse.  In  order  to  understand  this 
we  need  to  go  back  again  to  '^the  old  home,"  and 
especially  to  his  mother.  We  are  fortunate  here  in 
having  the  veil  of  the  past  Kfted  by  Mrs.  Kirkwood, 
as  one  outside  of  the  family  could  not  do,  or,  even  if 
he  could,  would  hesitate  to  do. 

Long  before  her  marriage,  when  indeed  but  a 
young  girl,  Mary  Nelson  Diven  [Calvin's  mother] 
heard  an  appeal  for  the  Sandwich  Islands  made  by 
the  elder  Dr.  Forbes,  one  of  the  early  missionaries  of 
the  American  Board,  to  those  islands.  He  asked  for 
a  box  of  supplies.     There  was  not  much  missionary 

40 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE  WORK  41 

interest  in  the  little  church  of  Dillsburg,  York  County, 

Pennsylvania,  of  which  she  was  a  member;    for  the 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  had  not  been 

organized,  and  the  American  Board  had  not  attained 

I  its  majority.     Her  pastor  s^inpathized  with  the  newly 

'  awakened  zeal  and  interest  of  his  young  parishioner, 

Iwhen  she  proposed  to  canvass  the  congregation  in 

Iresponse  to  Dr.  Forbes's  appeal.     The  box  was  secured 

land  sent.     This  was  the  seed  that  germinated  in  her 

'heart  so  early  and  bore  fruit  through  the  whole  of  her 

long  Kfe. 

When  in  her  nineteenth  year  she  was  married  to 
John  Mateer,  hers  was  a  marriage  in  the  Lord; 
and  together  she  and  her  husband  consecrated  their 
children  in  their  infancy  to  his  service.  This  con- 
secration was  not  a  form;  they  were  laid  upon  the 
altar  and  never  taken  back.  Through  all  the  self- 
denying  struggles  to  secure  their  education,  one  aim 
was  steadily  kept  in  view,  that  of  fitting  them  either 
to  carry  the  gospel  to  some  heathen  land,  or  to  do 
the  Lord's  work  in  their  own  land. 

In  addition  to  the  foreign  missionary  periodicals, 
a  number  of  biographies  of  foreign  missionaries  were 
secured  and  were  read  by  all  the  family.  Not  only 
did  this  mother  try  to  awaken  in  her  children  an 
interest  in  missions  through  missionary  literature, 
but  she  devised  means  to  strengthen  and  make 
permanent  this  interest,  to  furnish  channels  through 
which  these  feelings  and  impulses  might  flow  toward 
practical  results.  One  of  these  was  a  missionary 
mite  box  which  she  fashioned  with  her  own  hands, 
away  back  in  the  early  forties,  before  the  mite  boxes 
had  been  scattered  broadcast  in  the  land.  Quaint 
indeed  it  was,  this  plain  little  wooden  box,  covered 
with    small-figured   wall   paper.      Placed    upon    the 


42  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

parlor  mantel,  it  soon  became  the  shrine  of  the 
children's  devotion.  No  labor  or  self-denial  on  their 
part  was  considered  too  great  to  secure  pennies  for 
"the  missionary  box."  Few  pennies  were  spent  for 
self-indulgence  after  that  box  was  put  in  place,  and 
overflowing  was  the  delight  when  some  unwonted 
good  fortune  made  it  possible  to  drop  in  silver  coins — 
*^  six-and-a-fourthbits,"  or  "  eleven-penny  bits."  Most 
of  the  offerings  were  secured  by  such  self-denials  as 
foregoing  coffee,  sugar,  or  butter.  There  was  not 
at  that  time  much  opportunity  for  country  children 
to  earn  even  pennies.  The  "red-letter"  day  of  all 
the  year  was  when  the  box  was  opened  and  the 
pennies  were  counted. 

This  earnest-hearted  mother  had  counted  the  cost 
of  what  she  was  doing  in  thus  educating  her  children 
into  the  missionary  spirit.  When  her  first-born 
turned  his  face  toward  the  heathen  world,  there  was 
no  drawing  back — freely  she  gave  him  to  the  work. 
As  one  after  another  of  her  children  offered  them- 
selves to  the  Foreign  Board,  she  rejoiced  in  the 
honor  God  had  put  upon  her,  never  shrinking  from 
the  heart  strain  the  separation  from  her  children 
must  bring.  She  only  made  them  more  special  objects 
of  prayer,  thus  transmuting  her  personal  care-taking 
to  faith.     She  lived  to  see  four  of  her  children  in  China. 

"'  This  explains  how  it  came  about  that  this  elder 
son,  from  youth,  had  before  him  the  missionary  work 
as  "a,  dim  vision,"  and  that  "a  half-formed  reso- 

.^  lution"  to  take  it  up  was  all  the  while  in  his  mind. 

-^  When  he  graduated  from  college,  he  had  made  no 
decision  as  to  his  life  work.  During  the  years  pre- 
ceding he  at  no  time  put  aside  the  claims  of  missions, 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE  WORK         43 

and  consequently  of  the  ministry,  upon  him,  and  in 
various  ways  he  showed  his  interest  in  that  Hne  of 
Christian  service.  As  he  saw  the  situation  the  choice 
seemed  mainly  to  lie  between  this  on  the  one  hand, 
V  and  teaching  on  the  other.  Before  he  graduated  he 
had  the  offer  of  a  place  in  the  corps  of  instructors 
for  the  Lawrenceville  (New  Jersey)  school,  since 
grown  into  such  magnitude  and  esteem  as  a  boys' 
preparatory  institution;  but  the  conditions  were 
not  such  that  he  felt  justified  in  accepting.  Un- 
fortunately, there  is  a  blank  in  his  Journal  for  the 
period  between  March  4,  1857,  some  six  months 
before  he  received  his  diploma  at  Jefferson,  and 
October  24,  1859,  when  he  had  already  been  a  good 
while  in  the  theological  seminary;  and  to  supply 
it  scarcely  any  of  his  letters  are  available.  In  the 
autobiographical  sketch  already  noticed  he  says: 

From  college  I  went  to  take  charge  of  the  acad- 
emy at  Beaver,  Pennsylvania.  I  found  it  run  down 
almost  to  nothing,  so  that  the  first  term  (half  year) 
it  hardly  paid  me  my  board.  I  was  on  my  mettle, 
however,  and  determined  not  to  fail.  I  taught  and 
lectured  and  advertised,  making  friends  as  fast  as 
I  could.  I  found  the  school  with  about  twenty 
boys,  all  day  scholars ;  I  left  it  at  the  end  of  the  third 
term  with  ninety,  of  whom  thirty  were  boarders. 
I  could  easily  have  gone  on  and  made  money,  but 
I  felt  that  I  was  called  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  so, 
I  sold  out  my  school  and  went  to  Allegheny  [Western 
Theological  Seminary],  entering  when  the  first  year 
i  was  half  over. 


44  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

One  of  his  pupils  at  Beaver  was  J.  R.  Miller,  D.D., 
a  distinguished  minister  of  the  gospel  in  Philadelphia; 
and  very  widely  known  especially  as  the  author  of 
soKd  but  popular  reHgious  books.  Writing  of  his 
experience  at  the  Beaver  Academy,  he  says: 

When  I  first  entered,  the  principal  was  Mr. 
Mateer.  The  first  night  I  was  there,  my  room  was 
not  ready,  and  I  slept  with  him  in  his  room.  I  can 
never  forget  the  words  of  encouragement  and  cheer 
he  spoke  that  night,  to  a  homesick  boy,  away  for 
almost  the  first  time  from  his  father  and  mother.  . 
.  .  .  My  contact  with  him  came  just  at  the  time 
when  my  whole  Hfe  was  in  such  plastic  form  that 
influence  of  whatever  character  became  permanent. 
He  was  an  excellent  teacher.  His  personal  influence 
over  me  was  very  great.  I  suppose  that  when  the 
records  are  all  known,  it  will  be  seen  that  no  other 
man  did  so  much  for  the  shaping  of  my  Hfe  as  he  did. 

While  at  Beaver  he  at  last  decided  that  he  was 
called  of  God  to  study  for  the  ministry,  but  called 
not  by  any  extraordinary  external  sign  or  inward  ex- 
perience. It  was  a  sense  of  duty  that  determined 
him,  and  although  he  obeyed  wilhngly,  yet  it  was  not 
without  a  struggle.  He  had  a  consciousness  of  abihty 
to  succeed  as  a  teacher  or  in  other  vocations;  and  he 
was  by  no  means  without  ambition  to  make  his  mark 
in  the  world.  Because  he  was  convinced  by  long 
and  careful  and  prayerful  consideration  that  he  ought 
to  become  a  minister  he  put  aside  all  the  other  pur- 
suits that  might  have  opened  to  him.  Not  long 
after  he  entered  the  seminary  he  wrote  to  his  mother: 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE   WORK  45 

"You  truly  characterize  the  work  for  which  I  am 
now  preparing  as  a  great  and  glorious  one.  I  have 
long  looked  forward  to  it,  though  scarcely  daring 
to  think  it  my  duty  to  engage  in  it.  After  much 
pondering  in  my  own  mind,  and  prayer  for  direc- 
tion I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  preach." 

On  account  of  teaching,  as  already  related,  he  did 
not  enter  the  theological  seminary  until  more  than 
a  year  after  I  did,  so  that  I  was  not  his  classmate 
there.  He  came  some  months  late  in  the  school 
year,  and  had  at  first  much  back  work  to  make  up; 
but  he  soon  showed  that  he  ranked  among  the  very 
best  students.  His  classmate,  Rev.  John  H.  Sher- 
rard,  of  Pittsburg,  writes: 

One  thing  I  do  well  remember  about  Mateer:  his 
mental  superiority  impressed  everyone,  as  also  his 
deep  spirituality.  In  some  respects,  indeed  most, 
he  stood  head  and  shoulders  above  his  fellows  around 
him. 

Another  classmate.  Rev.  Dr.  William  Gaston,  of 
Cleveland,  says: 

We  regarded  him  as  one  of  our  most  level-headed 
men;  our  peer  in  all  points;  not  good  merely  in  one 
point,  but  most  thorough  in  all  branches  of  study. 
He  was  cheerful  and  yet  not  flippant,  and  with  a 
tinge  of  the  most  serious.  He  was  optimistic,  dwell- 
ing much  on  God's  great  love.  .  .  .  He  was  not 
only  a  year  in  advance  of  most  of  us  in  graduating 
from  college,  but  I  think  that  we,  as  students,  felt 
that  though  we  were  classmates  in  the  seminary, 
he  was  in  advance  of  us  in  other  things.     Life  seemed 


46  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

more  serious  to  him.  I  doubt  if  any  one  of  us  felt 
the  responsibihty  of  Hfe  as  much  as  he  did.  I  doubt 
if  anyone  worked  as  hard  as  he. 

The  Western  Theological  Seminary,  during  the 
period  of  Mateer's  attendance,  was  at  the  high-water 
mark  of  prosperity.  The  general  catalogue  shows 
an  enrollment  of  sixty-one  men  in  his  class;  the  total 
in  all  classes  hovered  about  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
In  the  faculty  there  were  only  four  members,  and, 
estimated  by  the  specializations  common  in  our 
theological  schools  to-day,  they  could  not  adequately 
do  all  their  work;  and  this  was  the  more  true  of  them, 
because  all  save  one  of  them  eked  out  his  scanty 
salary  by  taking  charge  of  a  city  church.  But  they 
did  better  than  might  now  be  thought  possible; 
and  especially  was  this  practicable  because  of  the 
Hmited  curriculum  then  prescribed,  and  followed  by 
all  students.  Dr.  David  Elliott  was  still  at  work, 
though  beyond  the  age  when  he  was  at  his  best. 
Samuel  J.  Wilson  was  just  starting  in  his  brilliant 
though  brief  career,  and  commanded  a  peculiar 
attachment  from  his  pupils.  Dr.  Jacobus  was 
widely  known  and  appreciated  for  his  popular  com- 
mentaries. However,  the  member  of  the  faculty 
who  left  the  deepest  impress  on  Mateer  was  Dr. 
William  S.  Plumer.  Nor  in  this  was  his  case  excep- 
tional. We  all  knew  that  Dr.  Plumer  was  not  in  the 
very  first  rank  of  theologians.  We  often  missed  in 
his  lectures  the  marks  of  very  broad  and  deep  scholar- 
ship.    But  as  a  teacher  he  nevertheless  made  upon 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE   WORK  47 

our  minds  an  impression  that  was  so  great  and  lasting 
that  in  all  our  subsequent  lives  we  have  continued 
to  rejoice  in  having  been  under  his  training.  Best 
of  all  was  his  general  influence  on  the  students.  We 
doubt  whether  in  the  theological  seminaries  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States  it  has 
ever  been  equaled,  except  by  Archibald  Alexander 
of  Princeton.  The  dominant  element  of  that  in- 
fluence was  a  magnificent  personality  saturated  with 
the  warmest  and  most  tender  piety,  having  its  source 
in  love  for  the  living,  personal  Saviour.  For  Dr. 
Plumer,  Mateer  had  then  a  very  high  degree  of 
reverent  affection,  and  he  never  lost  it. 

Spiritually,  the  condition  of  the  seminary  while 
Mateer  was  there  was  away  above  the  ordinary. 
In  the  winter  of  1857-58  a  great  revival  had  swept 
over  the  United  States,  and  across  the  Atlantic. 
flA  no  place  was  it  more  in  evidence  than  in  the  theo- 
I  logical  schools;  it  quickened  immensely  the  spiritual 
I  life  of  the  majority  of  the  students.  One  of  its 
fruits  there  was  the  awakening  of  a  far  more  intense 
interest  in  foreign  missions.  I  can  still  recall  the 
satisfaction  which  some  of  us  who  in  the  seminary 
were  turning  our  faces  toward  the  unevangehzed 
nations  had  in  the  information  that  this  strong  man 
who  stood  in  the  very  first  rank  as  to  character  and 
scholarship  had  decided  to  offer  himself  to  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  for  such  service  as  they  might 
select  for  him.  It  was  a  fitting  consummation  of 
his  college  and  seminary  life. 


48  CALVIN  WIL&ON  MATEER 

Yet  it  was  only  slowly,  even  in  the  seminary,  and 
after  much  searching  of  his  own  heart  and  much 
wrestling  in  prayer,  that  he  came  to  this  decision. 
Outside  of  himself  there  was  a  good  deal  that  tended 
to  impel  him  toward  it.  The  faculty,  and  especially 
Dr.  Plumer,  did  all  they  could  wisely  to  press  on  the 
students  the  call  of  the  unevangelized  nations  for 
the  gospel.  Representatives  of  this  cause — mission- 
aries and  secretaries — visited  the  seminary,  where 
there  were,  at  that  time,  more  than  an  ordinary 
number  of  young  men  who  had  caught  the  missionary 
spirit.  In  college,  Mateer,  without  seeking  to  iso- 
late himself  from  others,  had  come  into  real  intimacy 
with  scarcely  any  of  his  fellow-students.  He  says 
in  the  autobiographical  sketch,  ''I  minded  my  own 
business,  making  comparatively  few  friends  outside 
of  my  own  class,  largely  because  I  was  too  bashful 
to  push  my  way."  In  the  seminary  he,  while  still 
rather  reserved,  came  nearer  to  some  of  his  fellow- 
theologues;  and  especially  to  one,  Dwight  B.  Hervey, 
who  shared  with  him  the  struggle  over  duty  as  to  a 
field  of  service.  They  seem  to  have  been  much  in 
conference  on  that  subject. 

On  the  2ist  of  January,  i860,  he  presented  himself 
before  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  to  which  the  churches 
of  Pittsburg  belonged,  passed  examination  in  his 
college  studies,  and  was  received  under  the  care  of 
that  body;  but  he  had  not  then  made  up  his  mind  to 
be  a  missionary.  On  the  12  th  of  April  of  the  same 
year  he  went  before  the  Presbytery  of  Butler,  at 


V 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE   WORK  49 

Butler,  Pennsylvania  (having  at  his  own  request 
been  transferred  to  the  care  of  that  organization, 
because  his  parents'  home  was  now  within  its  bounds), 
and  was  Hcensed  to  preach.  Yet  stiU  he  had  not 
decided  to  be  a  missionary.  He  was  powerfully 
drawn  toward  that  work,  and  vacillation  at  no  time 
in  his  life  was  a  characteristic;  there  simply  was  as 
yet  no  need  that  he  should  finally  make  up  his  mind, 
and  he  wished  to  avoid  any  premature  committal 
of  himself,  which  later  he  might  regret,  or  which 
he  might  feel  bound  to  recall. 
f  The  summer  of  i860  he  spent  in  preaching  here  and 
1  there  about  Pittsburg,  several  months  being  given  to 
j  the  Plains  and  Fairmount  churches;  followed  by  a 
visit  home,  and  another  in  Illinois. 

When  the  seminary  opened  in  the  autumn,  he  was 
back  in  his  place.  One  of  the  duties  which  fell  to  him 
was  to  preach  a  missionary  sermon  before  the  Society 
of  Inquiry.  He  did  this  so  well  that  the  students  by 
vote  expressed  a  desire  that  the  sermon  should  be 
published.  In  his  Journal  he  notes  that  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  discourse  ''strengthened  his  determination 
V  to  give  himself  to  this  work."  Before  the  Christmas 
recess  Dr.  J.  Leighton  Wilson,  one  of  the  secretaries 
of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
visited  the  seminary,  and  in  conference  did  much  to 
stimulate  the  missionary  spirit.  He  found  in  Mateer 
I  an  eager  and  responsive  listener.  On  the  12th  of 
December  Mateer  wrote  a  long  letter  to  his  mother, 
in  which  he  expresses  f eeHng,  because  without  warrant 
4 


50  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

some  one  had  told  her  that  he  had  offered  himself  to 
the  Foreign  Board.  He  says,  ''I  am  not  going  to 
take  such  an  important  step  without  informing  you 
of  it  directly  and  explicitly."  Then  he  proceeds  to 
tell  her  just  what  was  his  attitude  at  that  time: 

I  have  thought  of  the  missionary  work  this  long 
time,  but  not  very  seriously  until  within  the  last 
couple  of  years.  Ever  since  I  came  to  the  seminary 
I  have  had  a  conviction  to  some  degree  that  I  ought 
to  go  as  a  missionary.  That  conviction  has  been 
constantly  growing  and  deepening,  and  more  especially 
of  late.  I  have  about  concluded  that  so  far  as  I  am 
myself  concerned  it  is  my  duty  to  be  a  missionary.  I 
have  thought  a  great  deal  on  this  subject  and  I  think 
that  I  have  not  come  to  such  a  conclusion  hastily. 
It  has  cost  me  very  considerable  effort  to  give  up  the 
prospects  which  I  might  have  had  at  home.  The 
matter  in  almost  every  view  you  can  take  of  it  in- 
volves trial  and  self-denial.  I  need  great  grace,^ — for 
this  I  pray.  But  even  if  I  have  prospects  of  usefulness 
at  home,  surely  nothing  can  be  lost  in  this  respect  by 
doing  what  I  am  convinced  is  my  duty.  Indeed,  one 
of  the  encouraging  features,  in  fact  the  great  encour- 
agement, is  a  prospect  of  more  extended  usefulness 
than  at  home.  This  may  seem  not  to  be  so  at  the 
first  view,  but  a  more  careful  consideration  of  all  the 
aspects  of  the  case  will,  I  think,  bring  a  different 
conclusion. 

The  letter  is  very  full,  and  lays  bare  his  whole  mind 
and  heart  as  he  would  be  willing  to  do  only  to  his 
mother.  It  is  a  revelation  of  this  strong,  self-reliant, 
mature   but   filial-spirited   and   tenderly   thoughtful 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE  WORK  51 

young  Christian  man  and  prospective  minister,  to  a 
mother  whom  he  recognized  as  deserving  an  affectionate 
consideration  such  as  he  owed  to  no  other  created  being. 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1861,  he  received  a  letter 
from  his  mother,  in  which  she  gave  her  consent  that 
he  should  be  a  foreign  missionary,  naming  only  one 
or  two  conditions  which  involved  no  insuperable 
difficulty.  In  a  student  prayer  meeting  about  three 
weeks  later  he  took  occasion  in  some  remarks  to  tell 
them  that  he  had  decided  to  offer  himself  for  this  work. 
Still,  it  was  not  until  the  5th  of  April,  and  when  within 
two  weeks  of  graduation,  that  he,  in  a  full  and  formal 
letter,  such  as  is  expected  and  is  appropriate,  offered 
himself  to  the  Board.  In  his  Journal  of  that  date, 
after  recording  the  character  of  his  letter,  he  says: 
''This  is  a  solemn  and  important  step  which  I  have 
now  taken.  During  this  week,  while  writing  this 
letter,  I  have,  I  trust,  looked  again  at  the  whole 
matter,  and  asked  help  and  guidance  from  God. 
I  fully  believe  it  is  my  duty  to  go.  My  greatest 
fear  has  been  that  I  was  not  as  willing  to  go  as  I 
should  be,  but  I  cast  myself  on  Christ  and  go  forward." 
On  the  13th  of  April  he  received  word  from  the  Board 
that  he  had  been  accepted,  the  time  of  his  going  out 
and  liis  field  of  labor  being  yet  undetermined. 

So  the  problem  of  his  life  work  was  at  length  solved, 
as  surely  as  it  could  be  by  human  agency.  It  had 
been  his  mother's  wish  that  he  should  wait  a  year 
before  going  to  his  field,  and  to  this  he  had  no  serious 
objection;  but  as  matters  turned  out,  more  than  two 


52         CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

years  elapsed  before  he  was  able  to  leave  this  country. 
This  long  delay  was  caused  by  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  the  financial  stringency  which  made 
it  impossible  for  the  Foreign  Board  to  assume  any 
additional  obligations.  Much  of  the  time  the  outlook 
was  so  dark  that  he  almost  abandoned  hope  of  enter- 
ing on  his  chosen  work,  though  the  thought  of  this 
filled  his  heart  with  grief.  He  was  intensely  loyal  to 
the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  if  he  had  not  been  a 
licentiate  for  the  ministry  he  almost  certainly  would 
have  enlisted  in  the  army.  He  records  his  determina- 
tion to  go  if  drafted.  Once,  indeed,  during  this 
period  of  waiting  he  was  a  sort  of  candidate  for  a 
chaplaincy  to  a  regiment,  which  fortunately  he  did 
not  secure.  For  several  months  he  preached  here 
and  there  in  the  churches  of  the  general  region  about 
Pittsburg,  and  also  made  a  visit  to  towns  in  central 
Ohio,  one  of  these  being  Delaware,  the  seat  of  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  Not  long  afterward  he 
received  an  urgent  request  from  the  Old  School 
Presbyterian  Church  in  that  town  to  come  and  supply 
them.  About  the  same  time  the  churches  of  Fair- 
mount  and  Plains  in  Pennsylvania  gave  him  a  formal 
call  to  become  their  pastor,  but  this  he  declined. 
He  accepted  the  invitation  to  Delaware,  I  suppose 
partly  because  it  left  him  free  still  to  go  as  a  missionary 
whenever  the  way  might  open.  At  Delaware  he 
remained  eighteen  months,  until  at  last,  in  the  good 
providence  of  God,  he  was  ordered  ''to  the  front"  out 
in  China. 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE  WORK  53 

The  story  of  his  service  of  the  church  in  that  place 
need  not  be  told  here  except  in  brief.  It  must,  how- 
ever, be  clearly  stated  that  it  was  in  the  highest  degree 
creditable  to  him.  In  fact,  the  conditions  were  such 
that  one  may  see  in  it  a  providential  training  in  the 
courage  and  patience  and  faithfulness  which  in  later 
years  he  needed  to  exercise  on  the  mission  field.  The 
church  was  v/eak,  and  was  overshadowed  somewhat 
even  among  the  Presbyterian  element  by  a  larger  and 
less  handicapped  New  School  organization;  and  was 
sorely  distressed  by  internal  troubles.  For  a  while 
after  Mateer  came,  it  was  a  question  whether  it  could 
be  resuscitated  from  its  apparently  dying  state.  At 
the  end  of  his  period  of  service  it  was  once  more  ahve, 
comparatively  united,  and  anxious  to  have  him  remain 
as  pastor. 

On  November  12, 1862,  wliile  in  charge  of  the  church 
at  Delaware,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the 
ministry,  as  an  evangelist,  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Marion,  in  session  at  Delaware. 

On  December  27,  1862,  he  was  married  in  Delaware, 
at  the  home  of  her  uncle,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Brown,  of 
Mt.  Gilead,  Ohio.  Two  years  before  they  were 
already  sufficiently  well  acquainted  to  interchange 
friendly  letters;  later  their  friendship  ripened  into 
mutual  love;  and  now,  after  an  eight  months'  en- 
gagement, they  were  united  for  Kfe.  Mateer  says 
in  his  Journal,  "The  wedding  was  very  small  and 
quiet;  though  it  was  not  wanting  in  merriment,"  and 
naively  adds,  "Found  marrying  not  half  so  hard  as 


54         CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

proposing."  Julia,  as  he  ever  afterward  calls  her, 
was  a  superbly  good  wife  for  him.  In  her  own  home, 
in  the  schoolroom,  in  the  oversight  of  the  Chinese 
boys  and  girls  who  were  their  pupils,  in  the  preparation 
of  her  ''Music  Book,"  in  her  labors  for  the  evangehza- 
tion  of  the  women,  in  her  journeyings, — hindered  as 
she  was  most  of  the  time  by  broken  health, — she 
effectively  toiled  on,  until  at  last,  after  thirty-five 
years  of  missionary  service,  her  husband  laid  away  all 
of  her  that  was  mortal  in  the  little  cem.etery  east  of 
the  city  of  Tengchow,  by  the  side  of  her  sister,  Maggie 
(Mrs.  Capp),  who  had  died  in  the  same  service,  and 
of  other  missionary  friends  who  had  gone  on  before 
her. 

When  they  were  married  they  were  still  left  in  great 
uncertainty  as  to  the  time  when  the  Board  could  send 
them  out,  or,  indeed,  whether  the  Board  could  send 
them  out  at  all.  They  went  on  their  bridal  trip  to 
his  parents'  home  in  western  Pennsylvania,  reaching 
there  on  Wednesday,  December  3 1 .  Just  a  week  after- 
ward he  received  a  letter  from  the  Board  announcinsr 

o 

their  readiness  to  send  them  to  China.  The  record  of 
his  Journal  deserves  to  be  given  here  in  full. 

Scarcely  anything  in  my  life  ever  came  so  unex- 
pectedly. A  peal  of  thunder  in  the  clear  winter  sky 
v/ould  not  have  surprised  us  more.  The  letter  was 
handed  me  in  the  morning  when  I  came  downstairs 
at  grandfather's.  After  reading  it,  I  took  it  upstairs 
and  read  it  to  "  my  Jewel. ' '  In  less  than  three  minutes 
I  think  our  minds  were  made  up.     Her  first  exclama- 


FINDING  HIS  LIFE  WORK         55 

tion  after  hearing  the  letter  I  shall  not  forget:   "Oh, 
I  am  glad ! ' '     That  was  the  right  ring  for  a  missionary : 
no  long-drawn,  sorrowful  sigh,  but  the  straight-out, 
noble,  self-sacrincing,  "Oh,  I  am  gladl"     I  shaU  re- 
member that  time,  that  look,  that  expression.     If  I 
did  not  say,  I  felt,  the  same.     I  think  I  can  truly  say 
I  was  and  am  glad.     My  hfelong  aspiration  is  yet  to 
be  realized.     I  shall  yet  spend  my  life  and  lay  my 
bones  in  a  heathen  land.     I  had  fully  made  up  my 
mind  to  labor  in  this  country,  and  most  likely  for 
some  time  in  Delaware;  but  how  suddenly  everything 
is  changed!     The  only  regret  I  feel  is  that  I  am  not 
five  years  younger.     What  a  great  advantage  it  would 
give  me  in  acquiring  the  language!     But  so  it  is,  and 
Providence  made  it  so.     I  had  despaired  of  going, 
and  despairing  I  was  greatly  perplexed  to  understand 
the  leadings  of  Providence  in  directing  my  mmd  so 
strongly  to  the  work,  and  bringing  me  so  near  to  the 
point  of  going  before.     Now  I  understand  the  matter 
better.     Now  I  see  that  my  strong  persuasion  that  I 
would  yet  go  was  right.     God  did  not  deceive  me. 
He  only  led  me  by  a  way  that  I  knew  not.     Just  when 
the  darkness  seemed  to  be  greatest,  then  the  sun 
shone    suddenly    out.     How    strange    it    all    seems! 
The  way  was  all  closed;  no  funds  to  send  out  men  to 
China;   and  I  could  not  go.     Suddenly  two  mission- 
aries die,  and  the  health  of  another  fails;    and  the 
Board  feels  constrained  to  send  out  one  man  at  least, 
to  supply  their  place;   and  so  the  door  opens  to  me. 
And  I  will  enter  it,  for  Providence  has  surely  opened 
it.     As  I  have  given  myself  to  this  work,  and  hold 
myself  in  readiness  to  go,  I  will  not  retrace  my  steps 
now.     Having  put  my  hand  to  the  plow,  I  will  not 
look  back.     I  do  not  wish  to.     It  is  true,  however, 
that  preaching  a  year  and  a  half  has  bound  strong 


56  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

cords  around  me  to  keep  me  here.  I  cannot  go  so 
easily  now  as  I  might  have  done  when  I  first  left  the 
seminary.  It  will  be  a  sore  trial  to  tear  myself 
away  from  the  folks  at  Delaware.  They  will  try 
hard,  I  know,  to  retain  me;  but  I  think  my  mind  is 
set,  and  I  must  go.  I  must  go;  I  am  glad  to  go; 
I  will  go.  The  Lord  will  provide  for  Delaware.  I 
commit  the  work  there  to  his  hands.  I  trust  and 
believe  that  he  will  carry  it  on,  and  that  it  will  yet 
appear  that  my  labor  there  has  not  been  in  vain. 
Yesterday  I  was  twenty-seven  years  old.  I  hope  to 
chronicle  my  next  birthday  in  China.  The  Lord 
has  spared  me  twenty-seven  years  in  my  native  land. 
Will  he  give  me  as  many  in  China!  Grant  it,  O 
Lord,  and  strengthen  me  mightily  to  spend  them  all 
for  thee! 

This  strong,  persistent,  conscientious,  self-con- 
trolled, consecrated  man  had  found  his  life  work  at 
last. 


IV 

GONE  TO  THE  FRONT 

"If  there  had  been  no  other  way  to  get  b?ck  to  Am^^^^^^^^ 

than  through  such  another  --^ZrikT^^^^^^OBl 
I  should  ever  have  seen  my  native  land  agam. 

GRAPHICAL  SKETCH,  1897. 

THE  choice  of  the  country  to  which  he  should 
so  as  a  missionary  had  been  with   him  a 
subject  of  earnest  consideration  and  prayer. 
,  ,  He  says  in  his  Journal,  under  date  of  September  12, 

r      The  Board  wished  me  to  go  to  Canton,  China,  at 
r  first     TWs  was  altogether  against  my  inchnations 
and  previous  plans;   but  the  Board  would  not  send 
:    me  aChere  else,  until  in  the  last  letter  they  offered 
■  '    to  send  me  to  Japan;    I  have  long  had  thoughts  of 
north"!  India ■'or^f  Africa;,  and  espeaa Uy  have  I 
wished  to  go  to  some  new  mission  where  the  ground 
1 1  ^unoccupied,  and  where  I  would  not  be  entrammeled 
^^-  by  rues  and  rigid  instructions      The  languages  o 
eastern  Asia  are  also  exceedingly  difficult  and  the 
ri  Xionary  work  is  peculiarly  discouragmg  among  that 
il  people. 

/-    Two  days  later,  however,  he  sent  the  Board  a 

.  /  letter  saying  that  he  would  go  to  Japan.    When  his 

\\    field  finally  was  specifically  designated,  it  was  north 

China.    He  was  to  be  stationed  at  Tengchow,  a  port 


58  CALVIN   WILSON  MATEER 

that  had  been  opened  to  foreign  commerce  in  the 
province  of  Shantung. 

The  Mateers  remained  at  Delaware  until  late  in 
April.  Until  that  time  he  continued  in  charge  of  his 
church.  In  a  touching  farewell  service  they  took 
leave  of  their  people,  and  traveled  by  slow  stages 
toward  New  York. 

Going  to  live  in  China  was  then  so  much  more  seri- 
ous a  matter  than  it  is  now  that  we  can  scarcely 
appreciate  the  leave-takings  that  fell  to  the  lot  of 
these  two  young  missionaries.  The  hardest  trial  of 
all  was  to  say  good-by  to  mother  and  to  father,  and 
to  brothers  and  sisters,  some  of  whom  were  yet  small 
children,  and  for  whom  he  felt  that  he  might  do  so 
much  if  not  separated  from  them  by  half  the  distance 
round  the  world. 

At  length  on  July  3,  1863,  they  embarked  at  New 
York  on  the  ship  that  was  to  carry  them  far  to  the 
south  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  then  eastward 
almost  in  sight  of  the  northern  shores  of  Australia, 
and  finally,  by  the  long  outside  route,  up  north  again 
to  Shanghai.  They  were  pne  hundred  and  sixtyrfive 
days,  or  only  about  two  weeks  short  of  half  a  year, 
in  making  the  voyage.  During  that  long  period  they 
never  touched  land.  It  needs  to  be  borne  in  mind  that 
in  1863  the  Suez  Canal  had  only  been  begun;  that 
the  railroads  across  our  continent  had  not  been  built; 
and  that  no  lines  of  passenger  steamers  were  running 
from  our  western  coast  over  to  Asia.  No  blame, 
therefore,  is  chargeable  to  the  Board  of  Missions  for 


GONE  TO  THE   FRONT  59 

sending  out  their  appointees  on  a  sailing  vessel.  The 
ship  selected  was  a  merchantman,  though  not  a 
cHpper  built  for  quick  transit,  was  of  moderate  size, 
in  sound  condition,  and  capable  of  travehng  at  fairly 
good  speed.  Accompanying  the  Mateers  were  Hunter 
Corbett  and  his  wife,  who  also  had  been  appointed 
by  the  Board,  for  Tengchow.  There  were  six  other 
passengers,  none  of  whom  were  missionaries,  and, 
besides  the  officers,  there  was  a  crew  of  sixteen  men. 
At  best  the  voyage  could  not  be  otherwise  than 
tedious  and  trying.  The  accomm.odations  for  passen- 
gers were  necessarily  scant,  the  staterooms,  being 
mere  closets  with  poor  ventilation,  and  this  cut  off 
in  rough  weather.  The  only  place  available  for 
exercise  was  the  poop  deck,  about  thirty  feet  long; 
thus  walking  involved  so  much  turning  as  greatly  to 
lessen  the  pleasure,  and  many  forms  of  amusement  com- 
mon on  larger  vessels  were  entirely  shut  out.  Food 
on  such  a  long  voyage  had  to  be  Hmited  in  variety, 
and  must  become  m^ore  or  less  stale.  Of  course,  it 
was  hot  in  the  tropics,  and  it  was  cold  away  south  of 
the  equator,  and  again  up  north  in  November  and 
December.  Seasickness  is  a  malady  from  which 
exemption  could  not  be  expected.  When  a  company 
of  passengers  and  officers  with  so  little  in  common  as 
to  character  and  aims  were  cooped  together,  for  so 
long  a  time,  in  narrow  quarters,  where  they  must 
constantly  come  into  close  contact,  a  serious  lack  of 
congeniality  and  some  friction  might  be  expected  to 
develop  among  them. 


60  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

The  ship  also,  on  that  voyage,  encountered  distinc- 
tive annoyances  and  dangers.  For  weeks  after  they 
sailed  they  were  in  constant  dread  of  Confederate 
privateers.  Once  they  were  so  sure  that  they  were 
about  to  be  captured  by  a  ship  which  they  mistook  for 
one  of  these  destroyers  of  American  commerce  that 
they  hastily  prepared  as  well  as  they  could  for  such 
a  catastrophe.  When  they  sailed  from  New  York, 
\  I  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  in  progress  and  still 
]]  undecided;  and  it  was  not  until  October  15  when  they 
were  overtaken  by  a  vessel  which  had  sailed  eleven 
days  after  them  from  New  York,  that  their  anxiety  as 
to  the  result  was  relieved,  and  their  hearts  were  thrilled 
with  exultation,  by  the  news  that  Meade  was  victori- 
ous, and  also  that  Vicksburg  had  fallen.  Out  among 
the  islands  to  the  northeast  of  Australia  the  ship  was 
caught  in  a  current,  and  was  forced  so  rapidly  and 
nearly  on  the  wild,  rocky  shores  of  an  uncivilized 
island  that  the  captain  himself  despaired  of  escaping 
wreck.  Providentially  a  breeze  from  the  land  sprang 
up  and  carried  them  out  of  danger.  They  were 
overtaken  by  no  severe  storms.  Several  times  their 
patience  was  sorely  tested  by  protracted  calms; 
in  the  Pacific  it  once  took  them  seventeen  days  to 
make  three  hundred  and  forty  miles. 

All  of  these  things  lay  beyond  the  control  of  the 
officers  and  crew,  and  the  missionaries  accepted  them 
as  trials  to  which  they  ought  quietly  and  patiently  to 
submit.  But  imagine  as  added  to  this  a  half  year's 
subjection  to  the  arbitrary  and  autocratic  rule  of  a 


GONE  TO  THE   FRONT  61 

captain  who  was  ignorant  except  as  to  seamanship; 
who  was  coarse  and  constantly  prof ane  in  speech;  who 
was  tyrannical  and  brutal  so  far  as  he  dared  to  be, 
and  yet  when  boldly  faced  by  those  who  were  able  to 
bring  him  to  account  for  his  conduct  was  a  con- 
temptible coward ;  who  skimped  the  people  on  board  of 
food  adequate  in  quantity  or  decently  fit  in  quality, 
partly  because  of  stingy  greed,  and  partly  from  a 
desire  thus  to  gratify  his  malignant  disposition;  who 
\;  hated  missionaries  and  seemed  to  have  a  special 
pleasure  in  making  their  lives  on  his  ship  as  un- 
.  comfortable  as  possible ;  who  barely  tolerated  such 
religious  observances  as  the  asking  of  a  blessing  at 
meals,  or  a  service  for  social  worship  on  the  Sabbath 
in  the  cabin,  and  who  forbade  all  attempts  to  do  any 
religious  work,  even  by  conversation,  among  the  crew; 
who  was  capable  of  descending  to  various  petty  mean- 
nesses in  order  to  gratify  his  base  inclinations;  and 
who  somehow  yet  managed  to  secure  from  officers 
under  him  a  measure  of  sympathy  and  cooperation  in 
his  conduct.  When  we  have  as  fully  as  possible 
grasped  these  things,  we  can  understand  why  Dr. 
Mateer,  half  a  lifetime  afterward,  wrote  to  his  college 
classmates  that  if  in  order  to  reach  America  it  had 
been  necessary  to  repeat  the  experience  of  that  out- 
ward voyage,  it  is  doubtful  if  ever  again  he  had  seen 
his  native  land. 

But  at  last  this  voyage  was  nearing  its  end.  They 
might  have  reached  port  some  days  earlier,  had  it  not 
been  that  all  the  crew  except  three  or  four  had — 


62  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

through  lack  of  proper  food  and  other  bad  treatment — 
been  attacked  by  scurvy,  a  disease  already  then  having 
been  almost  shut  out  even  from  sailing  vessels  on  long 
V  trips.  On  December  i6  they  had  the  happiness 
^  of  going  ashore  at  Shanghai,  where  they  soon  found 
a  welcome  in  the  homes  of  missionaries  and  of  other 
friends.  Corbett  was  not  well,  and  Mateer  always 
believed  that  the  health  of  both  Juha  and  Corbett 
was  permanently  injured  by  the  treatment  received 
on  that  outward  voyage. 

On  the  voyage  the  missionaries  warned  the  captain 
that  they  would  surely  hold  him  to  account  for  his 
conduct,  when  they  reached  Shanghai.  They  kept 
their  word.  After  consultation  with  the  missionaries 
on  the  local  field,  with  a  lawyer,  and  with  the  American 
consul,  they  determined  to  proceed  with  formal 
charges  against  him.  Learning  of  this,  he  lost  no 
time  in  coming  to  them,  and,  with  fear  and  trembling, 
he  begged  that  they  would  have  mercy  on  him.  A 
second  interview  was  appointed,  but  Corbett  was  too 
unwell  to  see  him,  and  Mateer  had  to  meet  him  alone. 
In  his  Journal  he  says: 

I  took  the  paper  which  had  been  read  to  the  consul, 
and  read  it  to  him  giving  copious  comments  and 
illustrations,  at  the  same  time  asking  him  to  explain 
or  correct  if  he  could.  I  never  in  my  life  gave  any 
man  such  a  lecturing.  I  just  kept  myself  busy  for  an 
hour  and  a  half  telling  him  how  mean  and  con- 
temptible a  scoundrel  he  was.  I  then  offered  him  as 
a  settlement  of  the  matter  a  paper  which  I  proposed 
to  publish,  stating  in  it  that  he  had  apologized  and 


GONE  TO  THE   FRONT  63 

that  we  had  agreed  to  suspend  prosecution.  From 
this  he  pled  off  in  the  most  pitiful  manner,  saying 
that  he  would  be  ruined  by  it. 

The  third  day  he  came  again  and  made  such  an  ap- 
peal for  mercy  that  Mateer's  sympathy,  and  also  his 
desire  to  avoid  detention  at  Shanghai,  led  him  to  agree 
to  accept  a  private  apology,  and  to  refer  the  matter  to 
the  interested  parties  at  New  York.  Years  afterward 
Mateer,  on  going  aboard  a  coasting  steamer  bound  for 
Shanghai,  discovered  that  this  man  was  the  captain. 
He  at  once  cancelled  his  passage,  and  went  ashore 
until  he  could  secure  a  place  on  another  vessel. 

Tengchow  is  distant  more  than  live  hundred  miles 
from  Shanghai.  The  only  way  to  reach  it  was  by  a 
second  voyage  northward  along  the  coast  to  Chefoo, 
and  thence  overland.  On  January  3,  1S64,  the 
Mateers  and  the  Corbetts  went  aboard  the  little 
coasting  steamer  ''Swatow,"  bound  for  Chefoo. 
They  had  a  head  wind,  and  the  ship  was  almost 
empty  of  cargo.  They  suffered  again  from  seasick- 
ness, and  from  cold  on  account  of  lack  of  bed-clothing. 
On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  out,  at  about  half- 
past  eight,  they  were  sitting  around  the  stove  expect- 
ing soon  to  be  at  Chefoo,  when  suddenly  the  vessel 
struck  the  bottom  and  the  bell  rang  to  reverse  the 
engine.  Bump  followed  bump,  until  it  seemed  as  if 
she  must  go  to  pieces.  The  captain,  though  not 
unfamiliar  with  the  route,  had  allowed  himself  to  be 
deceived  by  the  masts  of  a  sunken  ship,  and  supposing 
this  to  be  a  vessel  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Chefoo, 


64  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

had  gone  in,  and  his  steamer  was  now  hard  and  fast 
on  the  bottom,  about  fifteen  miles  down  the  coast 
from  his  destination.  We  will  allow  Mateer  in  his 
Journal  to  tell  his  own  story. 

All  was  a  scene  of  indescribable  confusion.  The 
captain  lost  all  self-possession  and  all  authority  over 
his  men.  Most  of  his  crew  and  servants  were  Chinese 
or  Malays,  and  on  such  an  occasion  the  worst  features 
of  their  character  shine  out.  They  refused  to  do 
anything  and  went  to  packing  up  their  few  goods  and 
at  the  same  time  seizing  everything  they  could  get 
hold  of.  They  went  everywhere  and  into  everything, 
pilfering  and  destroying.  Meanwhile  the  waves  were 
striking  the  vessel  at  a  fearful  rate,  and  threatening 
to  break  it  into  pieces.  We  knew  not  what  to  do, 
or  what  we  could  do.  The  mates  and  two  passengers 
(a  merchant  and  an  English  naval  officer)  lowered  a 
boat  and,  pushing  off,  succeeded  in  landing  and  in 
making  a  rope  fast  from  the  ship  to  the  shore.  They 
found  that  we  were  much  nearer  the  land  than  we  had 
supposed.  We  were  now  in  a  great  quandary  what 
to  do,  whether  to  remain  on  the  ship,  or  get  in  the 
boat  and  go  ashore.  We  mostly  inclined  to  remain, 
but  the  captain  urged  us  to  go  ashore.  While  the 
wind  remained  moderate  we  could  stay  on  the  ship 
with  safety;  but  if  the  wind  should  increase  before 
morning  we  might  be  in  danger  of  our  lives.  The 
captain  said  that  he  thought  that  it  was  not  more  than 
eight  or  nine  miles  to  Chefoo,  and  he  was  anxious  that 
word  should  be  sent  there.  We  at  length  yielded  to 
his  advice,  and  about  eleven  o'clock  got  into  a  boat 
and  managed  to  get  ashore  through  the  surf.  It  was 
a  bitter  cold  night,  and  we  loaded  ourselves  with 
blankets  which  we  supposed  would  come  into  requisi- 


GONE  TO  THE  FRONT  65 

tion  to  keep  us  warm.  Our  party  consisted  of  nine 
passengers  (we  four,  Rev.  Williamson  and  wife  and 
child,  and  Rev.  McClatchie — all  missionaries — and 
Mr.  Wilson,  a  merchant,  and  Mr.  Riddle,  a  naval 
oflicer)  and  six  Chinamen.  Our  hope  was  to  set  out  in 
the  direction  of  Chefoo,  get  a  lodging  for  the  ladies  and 
IVIr.  Corbett  by  the  way,  while  the  rest  of  us  pushed  on 
to  Chefoo  to  obtain  assistance.  We  started  off  accord- 
ing to  this  plan,  but  soon  found  our  way  stopped  by 
fields  of  ice,  and  we  were  compelled  to  turn  from  our 
course  and  seek  the  hills  which  towered  up  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  walking  was  very  fatiguing;  indeed,  the 
ground  was  covered  several  inches  with  snow,  and  at 
many  places  there  were  large  cakes  and  fields  of  ice. 
After  long  and  weary  tramping  and  turning  and  dis- 
puting about  the  best  way,  we  at  length  reached  the 
hills.  I  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  first  hill  and  tried 
to  get  the  party  to  go  up  over  the  hill  and  directly 
inland  until  we  should  find  a  house  or  village.  Other 
counsels  prevailed,  however,  and  we  wandered  along 
the  foot  of  the  hill  the  best  part  of  a  mile.  At  length 
I  got  in  the  lead,  and  persuaded  them  that  no  houses 
would  be  found  unless  we  wxnt  inland  from  the  barren 
beach.  We  then  crossed  the  ridge  at  a  low  place  and 
retraced  our  steps  on  the  other  side  of  it,  and  finally, 
after  much  urging,  persuaded  those  who  wanted  to 
sit  down  until  morning  to  follow  on  inland  on  the 
track  of  some  of  our  Chinamen.  We  soon  came  to  a 
village,  which  was  indeed  a  welcome  sight.  We  were 
cold,  and  our  feet  were  wet,  and  we  were  very  tired, 
especially  the  ladies.  Our  troubles  were  not  over  yet, 
however,  for  we  could  not  induce  any  of  the  Chinese 
to  let  us  in.  It  was  now  four  o'clock,  and  we  were 
suffering  from  the  effects  of  five  hours'  wandering  in 
the  snow  and  cold.    Yet  they  persistently  closed  their 


66  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

doors  and  kept  us  onto  Mr.  Williamson  and  Mr. 
McClatchie  could  talk  to  them  some,  yet  they  refused 
to  receive  us. 

At  last,  after  shivering  in  the  cold  about  an  hour, 
we  succeeded  in  getting  into  a  sort  of  shanty,  which, 
however,  afforded  but  very  poor  comfort.  There 
was  a  heated  kang  in  it,  and  the  ladies  managed  to 
warm  their  feet  on  this.  When  it  began  to  get  light 
Mr.  Riddle  and  Mr.  Wilson  started  to  Chefbo,  thinking 
the  city  was  only  half  a  mile  distant.  This  was  what 
Mrs.  Williamson  understood  the  natives  to  say.  Some 
time  after  Mr.  McClatchie  started,  supposing  it  was 
three  miles.  We  made  breakfast  on  boiled  rice  and 
sweet  potatoes  which  the  people  brought  us. 

I  started  back  to  see  what  had  become  of  the  ship, 
and  to  look  after  our  things.  I  found  the  vessel  all 
sound  and  everything  safe.  I  succeeded  in  getting 
several  trunks  of  mine  and  Mr.  Williamson's  landed 
on  the  beach,  and  got  some  of  them  started  up  to  the 
village,  which  was  at  least  two  miles  from  the  ship. 
Mr.  William.son  then  went  down  and  succeeded  in 
getting  a  variety  of  other  things  brought  off  and  carried 
up  to  the  village.  It  was  a  beautiful  calm  day,  but 
we  feared  that  a  gale  might  spring  up,  as  gales  were 
frequent  in  this  region  at  that  time  of  year.  In  such 
a  case  the  vessel  must  quickly  be  broken  in  pieces,  and 
everything  destroyed. 

We  now  began  to  look  around  for  the  night,  and 
it  was  not  a  very  comfortable  prospect.  Some  Eng- 
lish people  came  from  Yentai  (just  across  the  bay 
from  Chefoo)  to  survey  the  wreck  of  a  vessel  that  had 
been  cast  away  some  time  before  at  the  same  place, 
and  they  very  kindly  sent  us  some  supper — their 
own,  in  fact — and  also  brought  us  a  supply  of  furs 
and  blankets.     We  had  one  large  kang  heated,  and 


GONE  TO  THE  FRONT  67 

on  this  five  stowed  themselves,  covering  themselves 
with  the  blankets,  while  I  made  a  bed  and  slept  on 
the  ground.  The  rest  of  the  little  room  was  filled 
with  trunks  and  Chinese  rubbish  of  various  kinds. 
We  slept  very  comfortably,  however,  and  as  we  were 
very  tired  and  had  not  slept  a  wink  the  night  before, 
our  sleep  was  sweet  and  refreshing  to  us.  We  had 
great  cause  to  be  thankful  for  even  such  accommoda- 
tions in  the  circumstances. 

We  made  our  breakfast  on  two  dozen  boiled  eggs 
and  some  bread  which  the  Englishmen  had  left  us. 
I  started  immediately  to  the  ship,  intending,  as  the 
day  was  fine,  to  try  and  get  as  much  as  possible  of 
the  goods  belonging  to  us  off  the  ship,  and  to  store 
them  there  until  they  could  be  taken  to  Yentai.  As 
I  came  over  the  top  of  the  hill  and  looked  out  on  the 
sea,  I  saw  a  steamer  coming  which  I  knew  was  the 
English  gunboat  from  Chefoo.  My  heart  bounded 
with  joy  at  the  sight.  At  last  we  were  to  get  help, 
and  to  reach  Yentai  without  going  overland.  All  our 
goods  also  would  no  doubt  be  saved. 

/  By  land  it  was  twenty-eight  miles  to  Chefoo,  instead 
^  1  of  the  short  distance  supposed  by  the  men  who  started 

\to  walk,  but  they  had  persisted;  and  at  their  instiga- 
tion the  gunboat  had  come  to  relieve  the  party  left 
behind.     After  some  failures  the  gunboat  succeeded 

(in  pulling  the  "Swatow"  into  water  where  she  again 

[floated  safely.  The  party  out  at  the  village  returned, 
and  the  goods  were  brought  back  and  put  on  board 
the  gunboat,  Mateer  remaining  over  night  with  the 
steamer  and  coming  up  the  next  day  to  Chefoo. 
He  notices  in  his  Journal  that  although  Corbett  was 


68  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

in  a  very  weak  state,  he  seemed  to  suffer  little  or  no 
bad  effects  from  the  first  terrible  night  on  shore; 
nor  were  the  ladies  apparently  any  the  worse  for  their 
exposure.  He  mentions  also  that  while  some  of  the 
natives  at  the  village  were  disposed  to  annoy  them  as 
much  as  possible,  others  of  them  were  very  kind,  and 
he  adds,  ''Never  before  did  I  feel  my  helpless  condi- 
tion so  much  as  among  those  natives,  with  whom  I 
^  could  not  speak  a  single  word." 

/ '  Of  course,  they  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  the 
;  missionaries  at  Chefoo.  On  the  following  Wednes- 
day they  started  for  Tengchow,  fifty-five  miles  away, 
\  traveling  by  shentza — a  mode  of  travel  peculiar  to 
China,  and  developed  largely  because  of  the  almost 
complete  absence  of  anything  like  good  wagon  roads. 
It  is  simply  a  sort  of  covered  litter,  sustained  between 
two  mules,  one  in  advance  of  the  other;  in  it  one 
reclines,  and  is  jolted  up  and  down  by  the  motion  of 
the  animals,  each  going  after  his  own  fashion  over 
rough  paths  which  lead  without  plan  across  the  plains 
and  hills.     Mateer's  Journal  says  of  that  trip: 

We  rode  about  fifteen  miles  and  stopped  for  the 
night  at  a  Chinese  inn.  We  had  brought  our  eatables 
along,  and,  having  got  some  tea,  we  made  a  very  good 
supper,  and  we  went  to  bed  all  together  on  a  Chinese 
kang  heated  up  to  keep  us  warm.  Next  morning  it 
was  bitter  cold,  and  we  did  not  get  started  until  about 
ten  o'clock.  I  made  them  turn  my  shentza  and 
Julia's  around  [that  is,  with  the  open  front  away  from 
the  wind]  or  I  do  not  know  what  we  should  have  done. 
About  five  o'clock  our  cavalcade  turned  into  an  inn, 


\l 


GONE  TO  THE   FRONT  69 

and  we  soon  found  to  our  chagrin  and  vexation  that 
we  were  doomed  to  spend  another  night  in  a  Chinese 
inn ;  which,  by  the  way,  is  anything  but  a  comfortable 
place  on  a  cold  night.  We  made  the  best  of  it,  how- 
ever, and  the  next  morning  we  were  ofi  again  for 
Tengchow,  where  we  arrived  safely  about  two  o'clock. 
At  last  our  journeying  was  over, — set  down  on  the  field 
of  our  labor. 

They  had  reached  the  front.     This  was  early  in 
January,  1864. 


THE  NEW  HOME 

"Our  new  house  is  now  done,  and  we  are  comfortably  fixed 
in  it.  It  suits  us  exactly,  and  my  impression  is  that  it  will  suit 
anyone  who  may  come  after  us.  .  .  .  My  prayer  is  that 
God  will  spare  us  to  live  in  it  many  years,  and  bless  us  in  doing 
much  work  for  his  glory." — letter  to  secretary  lowrie, 
December  24,  1867. 

TENGCHOW  is  one  of  the  cities  officially 
opened  as  a  port  for  foreign  commerce,  under 
the  treaty  of  Tientsin,  which  went  into  actual 
effect  in  i860.  Although  a  place  of  seventy  thousand 
or  more  inhabitants,  and  cleaner  and  more  health- 
ful than  most  Chinese  towns,  it  has  not  attracted 
people  from  western  nations,  except  a  little  band 
of  missionaries.  The  harbor  does  not  afford  good 
anchorage;  so  it  has  not  been  favorable  to  foreign 
commerce. 

When  the  Mateers  came  to  Tengchow,  missionary 
operations  had  already  been  begun  both  by  the  South- 
ern Baptists  and  the  American  Presbyterians,  though 
in  a  very  small  way.  In  fact,  throughout  the  whole 
of  China, — according  to  the  best  statistics  available, — 
there  were  then  on  that  immense  field  only  something 
more  than  a  hundred  ordained  Protestant  mission- 
aries, and  as  many  female  missionaries.  There  were 
also  a  few  physicians  and  printers.     The  number  of 

70 


THE  NEW  HOME  71 

native  preachers  was  about  two  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  of  colporteurs  about  the  same.  Few  of  these  col- 
porteurs and  native  preachers  were  full  ministers  of 
the  gospel.  There  were  sixteen  stations,  and  perhaps 
a  hundred  out-stations.  The  Chinese  converts  aggre- 
gated thirty-five  hundred. 

In  all  Shantung,  with  its  many  millions  of  people, 
the  only  places  at  which  any  attempt  had  been  made 
to  estabhsh  stations  were  Chefoo  and  Tengchow,  both 
on  the  seacoast.  The  Baptists  reached  the  latter 
of  these  cities  in  the  autumn  of  i860.  They  were 
followed  very  soon  afterward  by  Messrs.  Danforth 
and  Gayley  and  their  wives,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board;  and  the  next  summer  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nevius 
came  up  from  Ningpo  and  joined  them. 

The  natives  seemed  to  be  less  positively  unfriendly 
than  those  of  many  other  parts  of  China  are  even 
to  this  day;  yet  it  was  only  with  protracted  and  per- 
plexing difficulties  that  houses  in  which  to  live  could 
be  obtained.  Not  long  after  this  was  accomplished, 
Mrs.  Danforth  sickened  and  died,  and  was  laid  in 
the  first  Christian  grave  at  Tengchow.  Then  came 
a  "rebel,"  or  rather  a  robber  invasion,  that  carried 
desolation  and  death  far  and  wide  in  that  part  of 
Shantung,  and  up  to  the  very  walls  of  Tengchow, 
and  left  the  city  and  country  in  a  deplorable  condition 
of  poverty  and  wretchedness.  Two  of  the  Baptist 
missionaries  went  out  to  parley  with  these  marauders, 
and  were  cut  to  pieces.  Next  ensued  a  period  dur- 
ing which  rumors  were  rife  among  the  people  that 


y 


72  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

the  missionaries,  by  putting  medicine  in  the  wells, 
and  by  other  means,  practiced  witchcraft;  and  this 
kept  away  many  who  otherwise  might  have  ventured 
to  hear  the  gospel,  and  came  near  to  producing 
y  serious  danger.  After  this  followed  a  severe  epidemic 
of  cholera,  filHng  the  houses  and  the  streets  with 
funerals  and  with  mourning.  For  a  while  the  mission- 
aries escaped,  and  did  what  they  could  for  the  Chinese 
patients;  but  they  were  soon  themselves  attacked; 
and  then  they  had  to  give  their  time  and  strength 
to  ministering  to  their  own  sick,  and  to  burying  their 
own  dead.  Mr.  Gayley  first,  and  then  his  child, 
died,  and  a  child  of  one  of  the  Baptist  missionaries. 
Others  were  stricken  but  recovered.  The  epidemic 
lasted  longest  among  the  Chinese,  and  this  afforded 
the  missionaries  opportunity  to  save  many  lives  by 
prompt  appKcation  of  remedies;  and  so  tended 
greatly  to  remove  prejudice  and  to  open  the  way 
for  the  gospel.  Ten  persons  were  admitted  to  mem- 
bership in  the  church,  the  first  fruits  of  the  harvest 
which  has  ever  since  been  gathering.  But  a  sad 
depletion  of  the  laborers  soon  afterward  followed. 
Mrs.  Gayley  was  compelled  to  take  her  remaining 
child,  and  go  home;  Mr.  Danforth's  health  became 
such  that  he  also  had  to  leave;  the  health  of  Mrs. 
Nevius,  which  had  been  poor  for  a  long  time,  had 
become  worse  and,  the  physician  having  ordered 
her  away,  she  and  her  husband  went  south.  This 
'^  .;  left  Rev.  Mr.  Mills  and  his  wife  as  the  only  represen- 
tatives of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  until  the  Mateers 


THE  NEW  HOME  73 

and  Corbetts  arrived,   about  three  years  after  the 
beginning  of  the  station  by  Danforth  and  Gay  ley. 

When  the  Mateers  and  Corbetts  came  they  were, 
of  necessity,  lodged  in  the  quarters  already  occupied 
by  the  Mills  family.  These  consisted  of  no  less  than 
four  small  one-story  stone  buildings  clustered  near 
together;  one  used  for  a  kitchen,  another  for  a  dining 
room,  a  third  for  a  guest  room,  and  the  fourth  for 
a  parlor  and  bedroom.  Each  stood  apart  from  the 
other,  and  without  covered  connection.  The  larger 
of  them  had  been  a  temple  dedicated  to  Kwan  Yin, 
whom  foreigners  have  called  the  Chinese  god  of 
mercy.  According  to  the  universal  superstition,  the 
air  is  full  of  superhuman  spirits,  in  dread  of  whom 
the  people  of  China  constantly  Kve,  and  to  avert  the 
displeasure  of  whom  most  of  their  religious  services 
are  performed.  Kwan  Yin,  however,  is  an  exception 
in  character  to  the  malignancy  of  these  imaginary 
deities.  There  is  no  end  to  the  myths  that  are  current 
as  to  this  god,  and  they  all  are  stories  of  deliverance 
from  trouble  and  danger.  To  him  the  people  always 
turn  with  their  vows  and  prayers  and  offerings,  in 
any  time  of  special  need.  Partly  because  the  women 
are  especially  devoted  to  this  cult,  and  partly  because 
mercy  is  regarded  by  the  Chinese  as  a  distinctively 
female  trait,  the  easy-going  mythology  of  the  country 
has  allowed  Kwan  Yin,  in  later  times,  to  take  the 
form  of  a  woman.  When  the  missionaries  came  to 
Tengchow,  the  priest  in  charge  of  this  temple  was 
short  of  funds,  and  he  was  easily  induced  to  rent 


74  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

it  to  them.  He  left  the  images  of  Kwan  Yin  in  the 
house.  Just  what  to  do  with  them  became  a  practical 
question;  from  its  solution  a  boy  who  Kved  with 
the  Mateers  learned  a  valuable  lesson.  When  asked 
whether  the  idols  could  do  anybody  harm,  he  promptly 
rephed  ''No";  giving  as  a  reason  that  the  biggest  one 
that  used  to  be  in  the  room  where  they  were  then 
talking  was  buried  outside  the  gate !  At  first  a  wall 
was  built  around  the  other  idols,  but  by  and  by  they 
were  all  taken  down  from  their  places  and  disposed 
of  in  various  ways.  Mateer  speaks  of  a  mud  image 
of  Kwan  Yin,  about  four  feet  high,  and  weighing 
over  two  hundred  pounds,  still  standing  in  his  garret 
in  1870. 

The  coming  of  these  new  mission  families  into  the 
Mills  residence  crowded  it  beyond  comfort,  and  be- 
yond convenience  for  the  work  that  was  imperative. 
The  Mateers  had  the  dining  room  assigned  to  them 
as  their  abode,  this  being  the  best  that  could  be 
offered.  Of  course,  Httle  effective  study  could  under 
such  conditions  be  put  on  the  language  which  must 
be  acquired  before  any  direct  missionary  labor  could 
be  performed.  Under  the  loss  of  time  he  thus  was 
suffering,  Mateer  chafed  like  a  caged  Hon;  and  so, 
as  soon  as  possible,  he  had  another  room  cleared  of 
the  goods  of  Mr.  Nevius,  which  had  been  stored  there 
until  they  could  be  shipped,  and  then  set  to  work  to 
build  a  chimney  and  to  put  the  place  in  order  for  his 
own  occupation.  Thus  he  had  his  first  experience 
of  the  dilatory  and  unskillful  operations  of   native 


THE  NEW  HOME  75 

mechanics.  The  dining  room  was  left  without  a  stove, 
and,  on  account  of  the  cold,  something  had  to  be  done 
to  supply  the  want.  In  all  Tengchow  such  a  thing  as 
a  stove  could  not  be  purchased;  possibly  one  might 
have  been  secured  at  Chefoo,  but  most  probably  none 
could  have  been  obtained  short  of  Shanghai.  The 
time  had  already  come  for  Mateer  to  exercise  his 
"^  mechanical  gifts.     He  says : 

Mr.  Mills  and  I  got  to  work  to  make  a  stove  out  of 
tin.  We  had  the  top  and  bottom  of  an  old  sheet- 
iron  stove  for  a  foundation  from  which  we  finally 
succeeded  in  making  what  proves  to  be  a  very  good 
stove.  We  put  over  one  hundred  and  sixty  rivets  in  it 
in  the  process  of  making  it.  I  next  had  my  ingenuity 
taxed  to  make  a  machine  to  press  the  fine  coal  they 
burn  here,  into  balls  or  blocks,  so  that  we  could  use  it. 
They  have  been  simply  setting  it  with  a  sort  of  gum 
water  and  molding  it  into  balls  with  their  hands. 
Thus  prepared,  it  was  too  soft  and  porous  to  burn 
well.  So,  as  it  was  the  time  of  the  new  year,  and  we 
could  not  obtain  a  teacher,  I  got  to  work,  and  with  con- 
siderable trouble,  and  working  at  a  vast  disadvantage 
from  want  of  proper  tools,  I  succeeded  in  making  a 
machine  to  press  the  coal  into  solid,  square  blocks. 
At  first  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  be  a  failure,  for  al- 
though it  pressed  the  coal  admirably  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  get  the  block  out  of  the  machine  success- 
fully. This  was  obviated,  however,  and  it  worked 
very  well,  and  seems  to  be  quite  an  institution. 

This  machine  subsequently  he  improved  so  that 
a  boy  could  turn  out  the  fuel  with  great  rapidity. 
The  house,  with  the  best  arrangements  that  could 


76  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

be  made,  was  so  overcrowded  that  relief  of  some  sort 
was  a  necessity.  The  Corbetts,  despairing  of  getting 
suitable  accommodations  for  themselves,  went  back 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Chefoo  and  never  returned, — 
an  immense  gain  for  Chefoo,  but  an  equally  immense 
loss  for  Tengchow.  Mills  preferred  to  find  a  new 
house  for  himself  and  family,  and — after  the  usual 
delays  and  difficulties  because  of  the  unwillingness  of 
the  people  and  of  the  officials  to  allow  the  hated 
foreigners  to  get  such  a  permanent  foothold  in  the 
place — he  at  length  succeeded.  But  that  was  only 
a  remote  step  toward  actual  occupation.  A  Chinese 
house  at  its  best  estate  commonly  is  of  one  story; 
and  usually  has  no  floor  but  the  ground  and  no  ceiling 
but  the  roof,  or  a  flimsy  affair  made  of  cornstalks  and 
paper.  The  windows  have  a  sort  of  latticework 
covered  with  thin  paper;  and  it  is  necessary  to  tear 
down  some  of  the  wall,  in  order  to  have  a  sufficient 
number  of  them,  and  to  give  those  which  do  exist  a 
shape  suitable  for  sash.  The  doors  are  low,  few  in 
number,  rudely  made,  and  in  two  pieces.  A  Chinese 
house  may  be  large  enough,  but  it  is  usually  all  in  one 
big  room. 

It  fell  to  these  missionaries  to  get  in  order  the  house 
which  Mills  secured;  and  to  do  this  in  the  heat  of 
summer,  and  during  a  season  of  almost  incessant  down- 
pour of  rain.  They  were  obliged  not  merely  to  super- 
vise most  unsatisfactory  laborers,  but  also  to  do  much 
of  the  work  with  their  own  hands.  Eventually  Mills 
fell  sick,  and  Mateer  alone  was  left  to  complete  the 


THE  NEW  HOME  77 

job.  Yet  he  records  that  on  the  first  day  of  August 
his  associate  had  gone  to  his  new  residence,  and  he  and 
JuHa  were  happy  in  the  possession  of  the  old  temple 
for  their  own  abode.  Unfortunately  both  of  them 
were  taken  down  with  dysentery.  Of  the  day  the 
Mills  family  left  he  says  in  a  letter  to  one  of  his 
brothers : 

Julia  was  able  to  sit  up  about  half  the  day,  and  I 
was  no  better.  You  can  imagine  what  a  time  we  had 
getting  our  cooking  stove  up,  and  getting  our  cooking 
utensils  out  and  in  order, — no,  you  can't  either,  for 
you  don't  know  what  a  Chinese  servant  is  when  of 
every  three  words  you  speak  to  him  he  understands 
one,  and  misunderstands  two.  However,  we  did 
finally  get  the  machine  going,  and  it  works  pretty  well. 

Here  they  remained  three  years;  and,  here,  after 
they  had  built  for  themselves  a  really  "new  home," 
they  long  continued  to  carry  on  their  school  work. 

But  experience  soon  convinced  them  that  a  new 
dwelling  house  was  a  necessity.  The  buildings  which 
they  occupied  proved  to  be  both  unhealthy  and  un- 
suitable for  the  work  they  were  undertaking.  The 
unheal thiness  arose  partly  from  the  location.  The 
ground  in  that  section  of  the  city  is  low,  and  Hable  to 
be  submerged  in  the  rainy  season.  A  sluggish  httle 
stream  ran  just  in  front  of  the  place,  passing  through 
the  wall  by  a  low  gate,  and  if  this  happened  to  be 
closed  in  a  sudden  freshet,  the  water  sometimes  rose 
within  the  houses.  There  was  a  floor  at  least  in  the 
main  building,  but  it  was  laid  upon  scantlings  about 


78  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

four  inches  thick,  these  being  placed  on  the  ground. 
The  boards  were  not  grooved,  and  as  a  consequence 
while  making  a  tight  enough  floor  in  the  damp  season, 
in  the  dry  it  opened  with  cracks  a  quarter  to  half  an 
inch  wide.  The  walls  were  of  stone,  built  without  Hme, 
and  with  an  excess  of  mud  mortar,  and  Hned  on  the 
inside  with  sun-dried  brick.  The  result  of  aU  this 
was  that  the  dampness  extended  upward  several  feet 
above  the  floor,  and  by  discoloration  showed  in  the 
driest  season  where  it  had  been.  The  floor  could  not 
be  raised  without  necessitating  a  change  in  the  doors 
and  windows,  and  it  was  doubtful  whether  this  could 
be  made  with  safety  to  the  house.  It  is  no  wonder 
that,  under  such  conditions,  Mrs.  Mateer  began  to 
suffer  seriously  from  the  rheumatism  that  remained 
with  her  all  the  rest  of  her  Hfe.  Added  to  the  other 
discomforts,  were  the  tricks  played  them  by  the  ceiling. 
This  consisted  of  cornstalks  hung  to  the  roof  with 
strings,  and  covered  on  the  lower  side  with  paper 
pasted  on.  Occasionally  a  heavy  rain  brought  this 
ceiling  down  on  the  heads  of  the  occupants;  and 
cracks  were  continually  opening,  thus  rendering  it 
g^lmost  impossible  to  keep  warm  in  cold  weather. 

An  appeal  was  made  to  the  Board  for  funds  for  a 
new  dwelling.  Happily  the  Civil  War  was  about 
over,  and  the  financial  outlook  was  brightening;  so 
in  the  course  of  a  few  months  permission  for  the  new 
house  was  granted,  and  an  appropriation  was  made. 
The  first  thing  to  do  was  to  obtain  a  suitable  piece 
of  ground  on  which  to  build.     Mateer  had  in  his  own 


THE  NEW  HOME  79 

mind  fixed  on  a  plot  adjoining  the  mission  premises, 
and  understood  to  be  purchasable.  Such  transactions 
in  China  seldom  move  rapidly.  He  bided  his  time 
until  the  Chinese  new  year  was  close  at  hand,  when 
everybody  wants  money;  then,  striking  while  the 
iron  was  hot,  he  bought  the  ground. 

Long  before  this  consummation  he  was  so  confident 
that  he  would  succeed  that,  foreseeing  that  he  must  be 
his  own  architect  and  superintendent,  he  wrote  home 
to  friends  for  specific  information  as  to  every  detail 
of  house-building.  Nothing  seems  to  have  been  over- 
looked. He  even  wanted  to  know  just  how  the  masons 
stand  when  at  certain  parts  of  their  work. 

Early  in  February  in  1867  he  was  down  at  Chef 00 
purchasing  the  brick  and  stone  and  lime;  and  so 
soon  as  the  material  was  on  hand  and  as  the  weather 
permitted,  the  actual  construction  was  begun.  It 
was  an  all-summer  job,  necessitating  his  subordinat- 
ing, as  far  as  possible,  all  other  occupations  to  this. 
It  required  a  great  deal  of  care  and  patience  to  get 
the  foundations  put  down  well,  and  of  a  proper  shape 
for  the  superstructure  which  was  to  rest  upon  them. 
In  his  Journal  he  thus  records  the  subsequent  pro- 
ceedings : 

When  the  level  of  the  first  floor  was  reached  I  began 
the  brickwork  myself,  laying  the  corners  and  showing 
the  masons  one  by  one  how  to  proceed.  I  had  no 
small  amount  of  trouble  before  I  got  them  broken 
in  to  use  the  right  kind  of  trowel,  which  I  had  made 
for  the  purpose,  and  then  to  lay  the  brick  in  the  right 


80  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

way.  I  had  another  round  of  showing  and  trouble 
when  the  arches  at  the  top  of  the  windows  had  to  be 
turned,  and  then  the  placing  of  the  sleepers  took 
attention;  and  then  the  setting  of  the  upper  story 
doors  and  windows.  The  work  went  slowly  on,  and 
when  the  level  was  reached  we  had  quite  a  raising, 
getting  the  plates  and  rafters  up.  All  is  done,  how- 
ever, and  to-day  they  began  to  put  the  roof  on.  .  . 
.  .  I  hope  in  a  few  days  I  will  be  able  to  resume  my 
work  again,  as  all  the  particular  parts  are  now  done, 
so  that  I  can  for  the  most  give  it  into  the  hands  of  the 
Chinese  to  oversee. 

The  early  part  of  November,  1867,  the  Mateers 
lived  "half  in  the  old  and  half  in  the  new."  On 
November  21  they  finally  moved.  That  was  Satur- 
day. In  the  night  there  came  up  a  fierce  storm  of 
snow  and  wind.  When  they  awoke  on  Sabbath 
morning,  the  kitchen  had  been  filled  with  snow 
through  a  door  that  was  blown  open.  The  wind  still 
blew  so  hard  that  the  stove  in  the  kitchen  smoked 
and  rendered  cooking  impossible.  The  stair  door  had 
not  yet  been  hung,  and  the  snow  drifted  into  the  hall 
and  almost  everywhere  in  the  house.  Stoves  could 
not  be  set  up,  or  anything  else  done  toward  putting 
things  in  order,  until  Thursday,  when  the  storm 
abated. 

But  they  were  in  their  new  house.  It  was  only  a 
plain,  two-story,  brick  building,  with  a  roofed  veranda 
to  both  stories  and  running  across  the  front,  a  hall 
in  the  middle  of  the  house  with  a  room  on  either  side, 
and  a  dining  room  and  kitchen  at  the  rear.     Much 


THE  NEW  HOME  81 

of  the  walls  is  now  covered  by  Virginia  creeper,  wis- 
taria, and  climbing  rose.     It  is  one  of  those  cozy 
missionary  dwellings  which  censorious  travelers  to 
foreign  lands  visit,  or  look  at  from  the  outside;   and 
then,  returning  to  their  own  land,  they  tell  about  them 
as  evidence  of  the  luxury  by  which  these  represen- 
tatives of  the  Christian  churches  have  surrounded 
themselves.    Yet  if  they  cared  to  know,  and  would 
examine,  they  would  out  of  simple  regard  for  the  truth, 
\     if  for  no  other  reason,  testify  to  the  necessity  of  such 
\     homes  for  the  health  and  efficiency  of  the  missionaries, 
and  as  powerful  indirect  helps  in  the  work  of  social 
betterment    among    the    natives;     and    they   would 
wonder  at  the  self-sacrifice  and  economy  and  scanty 
means  by  which  these  worthy  servants  of  Christ 
have  managed  to  make  for  themselves  and  their  suc- 
cessors such  comfortable  and  tasteful  places  of  abode. 
The  Mateer  house  stands  on  the  compound  of  the 
mission  of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  which  is  inside 
and  close  to  the  water  gate  in  the  city  wall.    About 
it,  as  the  years  went  by,  were  erected  a  number  of 
other  buildings  needed  for  various  purposes.     The 
whole,   being  interspersed  with  trees,   combines   to 
make  an  attractive  scene. 

There  was  nothing  pretentious  about  the  house, 
but  it  was  comfortable,  and  suited  to  their  wants; 
and  it  was  all  the  more  dear  to  them  because  to  such 
a  large  degree  it  had  been  hterally  built  by  themselves. 
Here  for  more  than  thirty-one  years  Juha  presided, 
and  here  she  died.  After  that  Dr.  Mateer's  niece, 
6 


82  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

Miss  Margaret  Grier,  took  charge  previous  to  her 
marriage  to  Mason  Wells,  and  continued  for  some 
years  subsequent  to  that  event.  To  this  house  still 
later  Dr.  Mateer  brought  Ada,  who  was  his  helpmeet 
in  his  declining  years,  and  who  still  survives.  This 
was  the  home  of  Dr.  Mateer  from  1867  to  1904.  It 
was  in  it  and  from  it  as  a  center  that  he  performed  by 
far  the  larger  part  of  his  life  work.  Here  the  Man- 
darin Revision  Committee  held  its  first  meeting. 

It  was  always  a  genuine  home  of  the  most  attractive 
type.  What  that  means  in  a  Christian  land  every 
reader  can  in  a  good  degree  understand;  but  where 
all  around  is  a  mass  of  strange  people,  saturated  with 
ignorance,  prejudice,  and  the  debased  morality  con- 
sequent on  idolatry,  a  people  of  strange  and  often 
repulsive  habits  of  living,  the  contrast  is,  as  the 
Chinese  visitors  often  used  to  say,  ''the  difference 
between  heaven  and  hell."  But  what  most  of  all 
made  this  httle  dwelling  at  Tengchow  a  home  in  the 
truest  sense  was  the  love  that  sanctified  it.  Dr. 
Mateer  used  in  his  later  years  frequently  to  say: 
*'In  the  thirty-five  years  of  our  married  life,  there 
never  was  a  single  jar."  Nor  was  this  true  because 
in  this  sphere  the  one  ruled,  and  the  other  obeyed; 
the  secret  of  it  was  that  between  husband  and  wife 
there  was  such  complete  harmony  that  each  left  the 
other  supreme  in  his  or  her  department. 

Here  many  visitors  and  guests  received  a  welcome 
and  an  entertainment  to  which  such  as  survive  still 
revert  with  evidently  delightful  recollections.     This 


THE  NEW  HOME  83 

seems  to  be  preeminently  true  of  some  who  were 
children  at  the  time  when  they  enjoyed  the  hospi- 
talities of  that  home.  Possibly  some  persons  who 
have  thought  that  they  knew  Dr.  Mateer  well,  may 
be  surprised  at  the  revelation  thus  made.  One  of 
those  who  has  told  her  experience  is  Miss  Morrison, 
whose  father  was  a  missionary.  He  died  at  Peking, 
and  subsequently  his  widow  and  their  children  re- 
moved to  one  of  the  southern  stations  of  the  Presby- 
terian Mission.  It  is  of  a  visit  to  this  new  home  at 
Tengchow  that  Miss  Morrison  writes.     She  says: 

Two  of  the  best  friends  of  our  childhood  were  Dr. 
Calvin  Mateer  and  his  brother  John.  We  spent 
two  summers  at  Dr.  Mateer's  home  in  Tengchow, 
seeking  escape  from  the  heat  and  malaria  of  our 
more  southern  region.  It  could  not  have  been  an 
altogether  easy  thing  for  two  middle-aged  people  to 
take  into  their  quiet  home  four  youngsters  of  various 
ages;  but  Dr.  and  Mrs.  INIateer  m.ade  us  very  wel- 
come, and  if  we  disturbed  their  peace  we  never  knew 
it.  I  remember  Mrs.  Mateer  as  one  of  the  most  sensi- 
ble and  dearest  of  women,  and  Dr.  Mateer  as  always 
ready  in  any  leisure  moment  for  a  froKc.  We  can 
still  recall  his  long,  gaunt  figure,  striding  up  and  down 
the  veranda,  with  my  little  sister  perched  upon  his 
shoulders  and  holding  on  by  the  tips  of  his  ears.  She 
called  him  ''the  camel,"  and  I  imagine  that  she  felt 
during  her  rides  very  much  the  same  sense  of  perilous 
delight  that  she  would  have  experienced  if  seated  on 
the  hump  of  one  of  the  tall,  shaggy  beasts  that  we  had 
seen  swinging  along,  bringing  coal  into  Peking. 

Dr.  Mateer  loved  a  little  fun  at  our  expense.  What 
a  beautiful,  mirthful  smile  lit  up  his  rugged  features 


84         CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

when  playing  with  children !  He  had  what  seemed  to 
us  a  tremendous  ball, — I  suppose  that  it  was  a  foot- 
ball,— which  he  used  to  throw  after  us.  We  would 
run  in  great  excitement,  trying  to  escape  the  ball, 
but  the  big,  black  thing  would  come  bounding  after 
us,  laying  us  low  so  soon  as  it  reached  us.  Then  with 
a  few  long  steps  he  would  overtake  us,  and  beat  us 
with  his  newspaper  till  it  was  all  in  tatters.  Then 
he  would  scold  us  for  tearing  up  his  paper.  I  remem- 
ber not  quite  knowing  whether  to  take  him  in  earnest, 
but  being  reassured  so  soon  as  I  looked  up  into  the 
laughing  face  of  my  older  sister. 

Of  other  romps  she  also  tells  at  length.  Several 
old  acquaintances  speak  of  his  love  of  children,  and 
of  his  readiness  to  enter  into  the  playfulness  of  their 
young  Hves.  He  dearly  loved  all  fun  of  an  innocent 
sort;  perhaps  it  is  because  of  the  contrast  with  his 
usual  behavior  that  so  many  persons  seem  to  put 
special  emphasis  on  this  feature  of  his  character. 

In  those  early  days  Pei-taiho  in  the  north,  and 
Kuling  and  Mokansan  in  the  south,  had  not  been 
opened  as  summer  resorts.  Chefoo  and  Tengchow 
were  the  only  places  available  for  such  a  purpose, 
and  there  were  in  neither  of  them  any  houses  to  receive 
guests,  unless  the  missionaries  opened  theirs.  Teng- 
chow became  very  popular,  on  account  of  the  beauty 
of  its  situation,  the  comparative  cleanness  of  the  to^vn, 
and  the  proximity  to  a  fine  bathing  beach.  As  a 
usual  thing,  if  one  mentions  Tengchow  to  any  of  the 
old  missionaries,  the  remark  is  apt  promptly  to 
follow:  "Delightful  place!    I  spent  a  summer  there 


THE  NEW  HOME  85 

once  with  Dr.  Mateer."  Pleasant  as  he  made  his 
own  home  to  his  little  friends,  and  to  veterans  and 
recruits,  he  was  equally  agreeable  in  the  homes  of 
others  who  could  enter  into  his  spheres  of  thought 
and  activity.  He  was  often  a  guest  in  the  house  of 
Dr.  Fitch  and  his  wife  at  Shanghai,  while  putting  his 
books  through  the  press.  He  was  resident  for  months 
in  the  China  Inland  Mission  Sanitarium,  and  in  the 
Mission  Home  at  Chefoo.  Dr.  Fitch  and  his  wife, 
and  Superintendent  Stooke  of  the  Home,  tell  with 
evident  delight  of  his  "table  talk,"  and  of  other 
ways  by  which  he  won  their  esteem  and  affection. 

When  the  summer  guests  were  flown  from  Teng- 
chow,  the  missionaries  were  usually  the  entire  foreign 
community, — a  condition  of  things  bringing  both 
advantages  and  disadvantages  as  to  their  work.  On 
the  one  hand,  the  cause  which  they  represented  was 
not  prejudiced  by  the  bad  lives  of  certain  foreigners 
coming  for  commercial  or  other  secular  purposes  from 
Christian  lands.  On  the  other  hand,  they  were  left 
without  things  that  would  have  ministered  immensely 
to  their  convenience  and  comfort,  and  which  they 
often  sadly  needed  for  their  own  efficiency,  and  for 
their  health  and  even  for  their  lives.  This  was 
largely  due  to  the  tedious  and  difficult  means  of  com- 
munication with  the  outside  world.  For  instance, 
it  was  six  weeks  until  the  goods  which  the  Mateers 
left  behind  them  at  Chefoo  were  delivered  to  them 
at  Tengchow.  Letters  had  to  be  carried  back  and 
forth  between  Tengchow  and  Chefoo,  the  distributing 


^ 


86  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

point,  by  means  of  a  private  courier.  When,  by  and 
by,  the  entire  band  joined  together  and  hired  a  carrier 
to  bring  the  mail  once  a  week,  this  seemed  a  tre- 
mendous advance.  The  cost  of  a  letter  to  the  United 
States  was  forty-five  cents. 

But  the  most  serious  of  all  their  wants  was  com- 
petent medical  attention.  How  Mateer  wrote  home, 
and  begged  and  planned,  and  sometimes  almost 
scolded,  about  sending  a  physician  to  reinforce  their 
ranks!  In  the  meantime  they  used  domestic  remedies 
for  their  own  sick,  or  sent  them  overland  to  Chefoo, 
or  in  case  of  dire  necessity  brought  up  a  physician 
from  that  city.  Mateer  soon  found  himself  com- 
pelled to  attempt  what  he  could  medically  and 
surgically  for  himself  and  wife,  and  also  for  others, 
and  among  these  the  poor  native  sufferers.  One  of 
his  early  cases  was  a  terribly  burnt  child  whom  he 
succeeded  in  curing;  and  another  was  a  sufferer  from 
lockjaw,  who  died  in  spite  of  all  he  could  do;  and 
still  another  case  was  of  a  woman  with  a  broken  leg. 
He  tried  his  hand  at  pulling  a  tooth  for  his  associate, 
Mr.  Mills,  but  he  had  to  abandon  the  effort,  laying 
the  blame  on  the  miserable  forceps  with  which  he  had 
to  operate.  Later  he  could  have  done  a  better  job, 
for  he  provided  himself  with  a  complete  set  of  dental 
tools,  not  only  for  pulling  teeth  and  for  fiUing  them, 
but  also  for  making  artificial  sets.  All  of  these  he 
often  used.  On  his  first  furlough  he  attended  medical 
lectures  at  Philadelphia  and  did  a  good  deal  of  dissec- 
tion.   A  closet  in  the  new  house  held  a  stock  of 


THE  NEW  HOME  87 

medicines,  and  by  administering  them  he  reheved 
much  suffering,  and  saved  many  Kves,  especially  in 
epidemics  of  cholera.  The  physicians  who,  in  re- 
sponse to  the  appeals  of  the  missionaries,  were  first 
sent  to  the  station  at  Tengchow  did  not  remain  long; 
and  for  many  years  the  most  of  the  medicine  admin- 
istered came  out  of  the  same  dark  closet  under  the 
stairs  of  ''the  New  Home." 


VI 

HIS  INNER  LIFE 

"I  am  very  conscious  that  we  here  are  not  up  to  the  standard 
that  we  ought  to  be,  and  this  is  our  sin.  We  pray  continually  for 
a  baptism  from  on  high  on  the  heathen  round  us;  but  we  need 
the  same  for  ourselves  that  we  may  acquit  ourselves  as  becomes 
our  profession.  Our  circumstances  are  not  favorable  to  growth 
either  in  grace  or  in  mental  culture.  Our  only  associates  are 
the  native  Christians,  whose  piety  is  often  of  a  low  type;  it 
receives  from  us,  but  imparts  nothing  to  us.  Mentally  we  are 
left  wholly  without  the  healthy  stimulus  and  the  friction  of 
various  and  superior  minds  which  surround  men  at  home. 
Most  whom  we  meet  here  are  mentally  greatly  our  inferiors, 
and  there  is  no  public  opinion  that  will  operate  as  a  potent 
stimulus  to  our  exertions.  It  may  be  said  that  these  are 
motives  of  a  low  kind.  It  may  be  so;  but  their  all-powerful 
influence  on  all  literary  men  at  home  is  scarcely  known  or  felt 
till  the  absence  of  them  shows  the  difference." — letter  to 

THE    SOCIETY     OF    INQUIRY,     IN     THE    WESTERN    THEOLOGICAL 

SEMINARY,  October  I,  1867. 

E  have  now  reached  a  stage  in  this  narration 
where  the  order  of  time  can  no  longer  be 
followed,  except  in  a  very  irregular  manner. 
We  must  take  up  distinct  phases  of  Mateer's  hfe  and 
work,  as  separate  topics,  and  so  far  as  practicable 
consider  each  by  itself.  This  is  not  at  all  because  in 
him  there  was  any  lack  of  singleness  of  aim  or  of  per- 
sistence. This  man,  from  the  time  when  he  began  his 
labors  in  China  until  he  finished  his  course,  without 
interruption,  put  his  strength  and  personality  into  the 

88 


HIS  INNER  LIFE  89 

evangelization  of  the  people  of  that  great  empire.  But 
in  doing  this  he  found  it  necessary  to  follow  along 
various  lines,  often  contemporaneously,  though  never 
out  of  sight  of  any  one  of  them.  For  our  purpose 
it  is  best  that  to  some  extent  they  should  be  con- 
sidered separately. 

But  before  we  proceed  further  it  appears  desirable 
to  seek  an  acquaintance  with  his  inner  life.  By  this 
I  do  not  mean  his  native  abihties,  or  his  outward 
characteristics  as  these  were  known  and  read  by  all 
men  who  came  much  into  contact  with  him.  It  is 
from  the  soul  life,  and  especially  the  reUgious  side 
of  it,  that  it  seems  desirable  to  hft  the  veil  a  little. 
This  in  the  case  of  anyone  is  a  delicate  task,  and 
ought  to  be  performed  with  a  good  deal  of  reserve. 
In  the  instance  now  in  hand  there  is  special  difficulty. 
Mateer  never,  either  in  speech  or  in  writing,  was 
accustomed  to  tell  others  much  about  his  own  inward 
experiences.  For  a  time  in  his  letters  and  in  his 
Journal  he  occasionally  breaks  over  this  reticence  a 
little;  but  on  November  27,  1876,  he  made  the  last 
entry  in  the  Journal;  and  long  before  this  he  had  be- 
come so  much  occupied  with  his  work  that  he  records 
very  Kttle  concerning  his  soul  Hfe.  Still  less  had  he 
to  say  on  that  subject  in  his  letters;  and  as  years  went 
by,  his  occupations  compelled  him  to  cut  off  as  much 
correspondence  as  practicable,  and  to  fill  such  as  he 
continued  with  other  matters.  Nothing  like  complete- 
ness consequently  is  here  undertaken  or  is  possible. 

A  notion  that  is  current,  especially  among  "men 


90  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

of  the  world,"  is  that  a  missionary  is  almost  always 
a  sentimental  dreamer  who  ignores  the  stern  realities 
of  life.  It  has  been  my  work  to  train  a  good  many  of 
those  who  have  given  themselves  to  this  form  of 
Christian  service,  and  to  have  a  close  acquaintance 
with  a  good  many  more;  and  I  cannot  now  recall  one 
of  whom  such  a  characteristic  could  be  honestly 
-afhrmed.  I  have  in  mind  a  number  of  whom  almost 
the  opposite  is  true.  Certainly  if  to  carry  the  gospel 
into  the  dark  places  of  the  earth  with  the  conviction 
of  its  ultimate  triumph  is  to  be  called  dreaming, 
then  every  genuine  missionary  is  a  sentimentalist 
and  a  dreamer;  and  Mateer  was  one  of  them.  But 
in  meeting  the  experiences  of  Hf e  and  in  doing  his  work, 
he  was  about  as  far  removed  from  just  accusation  of 
this  sort  as  anyone  could  be.  Indeed,  he  was  such  a 
matter-of-fact  man  that  his  best  friends  often  wished 
that  he  were  less  so.  I  have  carefully  gone  over  many 
thousands  of  pages  of  his  Journal  and  of  his  letters 
and  papers,  and  I  recall  only  one  short  paragraph  that 
savors  of  sentimentality.  It  is  so  exceptional  that 
it  shall  have  a  place  here.  In  a  letter  written  to  a 
friend  (Julia,  I  suspect),  in  the  spring  of  1861,  he  says: 

I  have  lived  in  the  country  nearly  all  my  life,  and 
I  much  prefer  its  quiet  beauty.  I  love  to  wander  at 
this  season  over  the  green  fields,  and  listen  to  the  winds 
roaring  through  the  young  leaves,  and  to  sit  down  in 
the  young  sunshine  of  spring  under  the  lee  of  some 
sheltering  bank  or  moss-covered  rock.  I  love  to 
think  of  the  past  and  the  future,  and,  thus  meditating, 
to  gather  up  courage  for  the  stern  realities  of  life. 


HIS  INNER  LIFE  91 

This  is  not  very  distressingly  Wertherian,  and 
surely  ought  not,  ever  after,  to  be  laid  up  against  the 
young  man,  the  fountain  of  whose  thoughts  may  at 
that  season  have  been  unsealed  by  love. 

But  we  sadly  miss  the  truth  if  we  infer  that,  because 
he  was  so  matter-of-fact  in  his  conduct,  he  was  with- 
out tenderness  of  heart  or  depth  of  feeling.  Dr. 
Goodrich  in  his  memorial  article  in  the  "Chinese  Re- 
corder" of  January,  1909,  says  of  him: 

I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  him  preach,  in 
English  or  Chinese,  when  his  voice  did  not  somewhere 
tremble  and  break,  requiring  a  few  moments  for  the 
strong  man  to  conquer  his  emotion  and  proceed. 
His  tenderness  was  often  shown  in  quiet  ways  to  the 
poor  and  unfortunate,  and  he  frequently  wept  when 
some  narrative  full  of  pathos  and  tears  was  read.  The 
second  winter  after  the  Boxer  year  the  college  students 
learned  to  sing  the  simple  but  beautiful  hymn  he  had 
just  translated,  "  Some  one  will  enter  the  Pearly  Gate." 
One  morning  we  sang  the  hymn  at  prayers.  Just  as 
we  were  ending,  I  looked  around  to  see  if  he  were 
pleased  with  their  singing.  The  tears  were  streaming 
down  his  face. 

This  sympathetic  tenderness  was  as  much  a  part 
of  his  nature  as  was  his  rugged  strength.  .  .  .  He 
dearly  loved  little  children,  and  easily  w^on  their 
affection.  Wee  babies  would  stretch  out  their  tiny 
arms  to  him,  and  fearlessly  pull  his  beard,  to  his 
great  delight. 

His  students  both  feared  him  and  loved  him,  and 
they  loved  him  more  than  they  feared  him;  for, 
while  he  was  the  terror  of  wrongdoers  and  idlers, 
he  was  yet  their  Great-heart,  ready  to  forgive  and 


92  CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

quick  to  help.  How  often  have  we  seen  Dr.  Mateer's 
students  in  his  study,  pouring  out  their  hearts  to 
him  and  receiving  loving  counsel  and  a  father's 
blessing!  He  loved  his  students,  and  followed  them 
constantly  as  they  went  out  into  their  Hfe  work. 

A  lady  who  was  present  tells  that  when  the  first  of 
his  ''boys"  were  ordained  to  the  ministry  he  was  so 
overcome  that  the  tears  coursed  down  his  cheeks 
while  he  charged  them  to  be  faithful  to  their  vows. 

His  mother's  love  he  repaid  with  a  filial  love  that 
must  have  been  to  her  a  source  of  measureless  satis- 
faction. Julia  could  not  reasonably  have  craved  any 
larger  measure  of  affection  than  she  received  from  him 
as  her  husband;  and  later,  Ada  entered  into  posses- 
sion of  the  same  rich  gift.  One  of  the  things  that 
touched  him  most  keenly  when  he  went  away  to 
China  was  his  separation  from  brothers  and  sisters, 
toward  whom  he  continued  to  stretch  out  his  benef- 
icent hand  across  the  seas. 

He  was  a  man  who  believed  in  the  necessity  of 
regeneration  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  order  to  begin  a 
genuinely  Christian  Hfe.  This  is  one  of  those  great 
convictions  which  he  never  questioned,  and  which 
strengthened  as  he  increased  in  age.  When  he  united 
with  the  church  in  his  nineteenth  year,  he  thereby 
pubhcly  declared  that  he  was  sufficiently  sure  that 
this  inward  change  had  passed  upon  him  to  warrant 
him  in  enrolling  himself  among  the  avowed  followers 
of  Christ.  But  of  any  sudden  outward  religious  con- 
version he  was  not  conscious,  and  made  no  profession. 


HIS   INNER  LIFE  93 

In  the  brief  autobiographical  sketch  previously  quoted 
he  says: 

I  had  a  praying  father  and  mother,  and  had  been 
faithfully  taught  from  my  youth.  I  cannot  tell  when 
my  religious  impressions  began.  They  grew  up  with  ' 
me,  but  were  very  much  deepened  by  the  faithful 
preachings  of  Rev.  I.  N.  Hays,  pastor  of  the  church 
of  Hunterstown,  especially  in  a  series  of  meetings  held 
in  the  winter  of  1852-3. 

As  to  his  external  moral  conduct  there  was  no  place 
for  a  visible  '^ conversion";  he  had  no  vicious  habits 
to  abandon,  no  evil  companions  from  whom  to  sepa- 
rate himself.  It  was  on  the  inner  life  that  the  trans- 
formation was  wrought,  but  just  when  or  where  he 
could  not  himself  tell, — an  experience  which  as  to 
this  feature  has  often  been  duplicated  in  the  children 
of  godly  households. 

The  impression  which  I  formed  of  him  while  asso- 1 
ciated  with  him  in  college  was  that  he  lived  uprightly 
and  neglected  no  duty  that  he  regarded  as  obligatory 
on  him.     I  knew  that  he  went  so  far  beyond  this  a^'^ 
to  be  present  at  some  of  the  religious  associations  of 
the  students,  such  as  the  Brainard  Society,  and  aj 
little  circle  for  prayer;   and  that  he  walked  a  couple 
of  miles  into  the   country  on  Sabbath  morning  toj 
teach  a  Bible  class  in  the  Chartiers  church.     If  I 
had  been  questioned  closely  I  probably  would  have 
made  a  mistake,  not  unlike  that  into  which  in  later^j 
years  those  who  did  not  penetrate  beneath  the  surface 
of  his  life  may  easily  have  fallen.     I  would  have  said 


./ 


94  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

that  the  chief  lack  in  his  piety  was  as  to  the  amount  of 
feehng  that  entered  into  it.  I  would  have  said  that 
he  was  an  honest,  upright  Christian;  but  that  he 
needed  to  have  the  depths  of  his  soul  stirred  by  the 
forces  of  religion  in  order  that  he  might  become  what 
he  was  capable  of,  for  himself  and  for  others.  Pos- 
sibly such  an  expression  concerning  him  at  that  time 
of  Hfe  might  not  have  been  wholly  without  warrant; 
but  in  later  years  it  certainly  would  have  been  a  gross 
misjudgment,  and  while  I  was  associated  with  him 
in  college  and  seminary  it  was  far  less  justified  than 
I  imagined. 
"^-^  On  October  13,  1856,  he  began  the  Journal  which, 
with  interruptions,  he  continued  for  twenty  years. 
In  the  very  first  entry  he  gives  his  reasons  for  keeping 
this  record,  one  of  which  he  thus  states: 

I  will  also  to  some  extent  record  my  own  thoughts 
and  feelings ;  so  that  in  after  years  I  can  look  back  and 
see  the  history  of  my  own  life  and  the  motives  which 
impelled  me  in  whatever  I  did, — the  dark  and  the 
bright  spots,  for  it  is  really  the  state  of  one's  mind 
that  determines  one's  depressions  or  enjoyments. 

He  records  distinctly  that  the  Journal  was  written 
for  his  own  eye  alone.  One  in  reading  it  is  surprised 
at  the  freedom  with  which  occasionally  he  passes 
judgment,  favorable  and  unfavorable,  on  people  who 
meet  him  on  his  way.  Concerning  himself  also  he  is 
equally  candid.  Most  that  he  has  to  say  of  himself 
relates  to  his  outward  activities,  but  sometimes  he 
draws  aside  the  veil  and  reveals  the  inmost  secrets 


HIS   INNER  LIFE  95 

of  his  soul  and  of  his  reUgious  Ufe.  As  a  result  we 
discover  that  it  was  by  no  means  so  calm  as  we  might 
suppose  from  looking  only  at  the  surface.  In  this  self- 
revelation  there  is  not  a  line  that  would  be  improper 
to  publish  to  the  world.  A  few  selections  are  all  that 
can  be  given  here.  A  certain  Saturday  preceding  the 
administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  kept  by  him- 
self and  other  college  students  as  a  fast  day,  and  after 
mentioning  an  address  to  which  he  had  listened,  and 
which  strongly  appealed  to  him,  he  goes  on  to  say: 

I  know  that  I  have  not  been  as  faithful  as  I  should. 
Though  comparatively  a  child  in  my  Christian  life, 
as  it  is  little  more  than  a  year  since  I  was  admitted 
to  the  church,  yet  I  have  come  to  the  table  of  the  Lord 
with  my  faith  obscured,  my  heart  cold  and  lifeless, 
without  proper  self-examination  and  prayer  to  God 
for  the  light  of  his  countenance.  I  have  spent  this 
evening  in  looking  at  my  past  life  and  conversation, 
and  in  prayer  to  God  for  pardon  and  grace  to  help. 
My  past  life  appears  more  sinful  than  it  has  ever 
done.  My  conduct  as  a  Christian,  indeed,  in  many 
things  has  been  inconsistent.  Sin  has  often  triumphed 
over  me  and  led  me  captive  at  its  will.  I  have  laid 
my  case  before  God,  and  asked  him  to  humble  me, 
and  prepare  me  to  meet  my  Saviour  aright.  O 
that  God  would  meet  me  at  this  time,  and  show  me 
the  light  of  his  countenance,  and  give  me  grace  and 
strength;  that  for  the  time  to  come  I  might  lay  aside 
every  weight  and  the  sins  that  do  so  easily  beset  me, 
and  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  me! 
There  seems  to  be  some  unusual  interest  manifested 
by  some  just  now;  so  that  I  am  not  without  hope 
that  God  will  bless  us  and  perhaps  do  a  glorious 


96  CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

work  among  us.  Many  prayers  have  this  day  as- 
cended to  God  for  a  blessing,  and  if  we  are  now  left 
to  mourn  the  hidings  of  God's  face,  it  will  be  because 
of  our  sins  and  our  unbelief.  I  have  endeavored  to 
keep  tliis  as  a  true  fast  day;  yet  my  heart  tells  me 
that  I  have  not  kept  it  as  I  should.  Sin  has  been 
mingled  even  in  my  devotions.  Yet  I  am  not  with- 
out hope,  because  there  is  One  whose  righteousness 
is  all-perfect,  whose  intercessions  are  all-prevalent. 
Blessed  be  God  for  his  unspeakable  gift. 

The  next  day,  however,  among  other  things,  he 
wrote : 

I  think  that  I  have  never  enjoyed  a  communion 
season  so  much.  .  .  .  This  day  my  hopes  of 
heaven  have  been  strengthened,  and  my  faith  has  been 
increased;  and  if  I  know  my  own  heart,  (0  that  I 
knew  it  better!),  I  have  made  a  more  unreserved 
consecration  of  myself  to  God  than  I  have  ever  done 
before;  and  may  he  grant  me  grace  to  live  more  to 
his  glory ! 

Surely,  the  young  man  who  thus  opens  to  our  view 
the  secrets  of  his  inner  religious  life  was  not  lacking 
seriously  in  depth  of  feeling.  One  is  reminded  of  the 
Psalmist's  hart  panting  after  the  water  brooks. 

In  the  seminary  he  still  had  seasons  of  troubled 
heart-searching  and  unsatisfied  longings  for  a  better 
Christian  life.  After  reading  a  part  of  a  book  called 
"The  Crucible,"  he  says: 

I  have  not  enjoyed  this  Sabbath  as  I  should.  My 
own  heart  is  not  right,  I  fear.  I  am  too  far  from 
Christ.     I  am  overcome  by  temptation  so  often,  and 


HIS   INNER  LIFE  97 

then  my  peace  is  destroyed,  and  my  access  to  a  throne 
of  grace  is  hindered.  I  am  ready  to  exclaim  vdih 
Paul,  "  Oh,  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver 
me  from  this  body  of  death!"  Would  to  God  I  could 
also  say  with  the  assurance  he  did:  "I  thank  God, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'' 

At  the  same  time  there  is  evidence  that  he  was 
advancing  toward  a  higher  stage  of  rehgious  ex- 
perience, and  that  he  was  leaving  behind  him  the  ele- 
ments of  repentance  and  faith,  and  going  on  toward 
^'perfection."  He  reads  the  Life  of  Richard  Williams, 
the  Patagonian  missionary,  and  then  sits  down  and 
writes: 

He  was  a  wonderful  man;  had  a  wonderful  life. 
Plis  faith  transcends  anything  I  have  ever  had.  His 
communion  with  God  was  constant  and  joyous,  at 
times  rising  to  such  a  pitch  that,  in  his  own  words, 
''he  almost  imagined  himself  in  heaven."  His 
resignation  to  God's  will  and  consecration  to  his 
service  were  complete  in  the  highest.  In  his  Hfe  and 
in  his  death  is  displayed  in  a  marvelous  manner  the 
power  of  God's  grace.  Reduced  almost  to  the  cer- 
tainty of  death  by  scurvy,  in  a  Httle,  uncomfortable 
barge  or  float,  with  scarce  any  provisions,  far  from  all 
human  help,  in  the  midst  of  storms  and  cold,  this  de- 
voted man  reads  God's  Word,  prays  to  him  from  his 
lowly  couch,  and  deliberately  declares  that  he  would 
not  exchange  places  with  any  man  living!  W^hat 
godlike  faith!  What  a  sublime  height  to  reach  in 
Christian  life  in  this  world !  I  am  more  and  more  con-  ; 
vinced  that  our  enjoyment  of  God  and  sweet  sense  of  l 
the  presence  of  Christ  as  well  as  our  success  in  glori-  I 
fying  God  depends  entirely  on  the  measure  of  our    j 


98  CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

consecration  to  him,  our  complete  submission  of  our 
wills  to  his.  My  prayer  is  for  grace  thus  to  conse- 
crate and  submit  myself  to  his  will.  Then  I  shall  be 
happy. 

I  do  not  think  that  Mateer  had  any  disposition  to 
follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Williams  by  tempting 
Providence  through  doubtful  exposure  of  his  life 
and  health  to  danger;  it  was  the  consecration  to  the 
service  of  God  that  he  coveted.  He  seems  about 
this  time  to  have  made  a  distinct  advance  in  the  direc- 
tion of  an  increasing  desire  to  give  himself  up  wholly 
to  the  service  of  his  divine  Master,  and  to  submit 
himself  entirely  to  the  will  of  God.  A  most  severe 
test  of  this  came  to  him  in  the  questions  of  his  duty 
as  to  foreign  missions.  First,  it  was  whether  he  ought 
to  go  on  this  errand,  and  whether  he  was  willing. 
Nor  was  it  an  easy  thing  for  him  to  respond  affirma- 
tively. He  was  a  strong  man,  and  conscious  of  his 
strength.  For  him  to  go  to  the  unevangeKzed  in  some 
distant  part  of  the  world  was  to  put  aside  almost  every 
''fond  ambition"  that  had  hitherto  attracted  him  in 
his  plans  for  life.  Opportunities  to  do  good  were 
abundantly  open  to  him  in  this  country.  Tender 
ties  bound  his  heart  to  relatives  and  friends,  and  the 
thought  of  leaving  them  with  little  prospect  of  meet- 
ing them  again  in  this  world  was  full  of  pain.  To 
go  as  a  missionary  was  a  far  more  severe  ordeal  fifty 
years  ago  than  it  is  in  most  cases  to-day.  Bravely 
and  thoroughly,  however,  he  met  the  issue.  Divine 
grace   was   sufficient   for   him.     He   offered    himself 


HIS   INNER  LIFE  99 

to  the  Board  and  was  accepted.  Then  followed 
another  test  of  his  consecration  just  as  severe.  For 
a  year  and  a  half  he  had  to  wait  before  he  ascertained 
that  after  all  he  was  to  be  sent.  There  were  times 
when  his  going  seemed  to  be  hopeless;  and  he  had  to 
learn  to  bow  in  submission  to  what  seemed  the  divine 
will,  though  it  almost  broke  his  heart.  When,  late 
in  1862,  one  of  the  secretaries  told  him  that  unless 
a  way  soon  opened  he  had  better  seek  a  permanent 
field  at  home,  he  says  in  his  Journal : 

It  seems  as  if  I  cannot  give  it  up.    I  had  such  strong   \ 
faith  that  I  should  yet  go.     ...     I  had  a  struggle    | 
to  make  up  my  mind,  and  now  I  cannot  undo  all  that    \ 
work  as  one  might  suppose.     What  is  it?    Why  is  it,     \ 
that  my  most  loved  and  cherished  plan  should  be     \ 
frustrated?     God  will  do  right,  however;  this  I  know.      \ 
Help  me,  gracious  God,  to  submit  cheerfully  to  all 
thy  blessed  will;    and  if  I  never  see  heathen  soil, 
keep  within  me  at  home  the  glorious  spirit  of  missions. 

It  was  a  severe  school  of  discipline  to  which  he  was 
thus  sent,  but  he  learned  his  lesson  well. 

One  cannot  think  it  at  all  strange  that  under  the 
conditions  of  the  outward  voyage  he  suffered  at 
times  from  spiritual  depression.  November  19,  1863, 
he  made  this  entry  in  his  Journal : 

Spent  the  forenoon  in  prayer  and  in  reading  God's 
Word,  in  view  of  my  spiritual  state.  I  have  felt 
oppressed  with  doubts  and  fears  for  some  time,  so 
that  I  could  not  enjoy  myself  in  spiritual  exercises 
as  I  should.     I  have  had  a  flood  of  anxious  thoughts 


100        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

about  my  own  condition  and  my  unfitness  for  the 
missionary  work.  I  began  the  day  very  much  cast 
down;  but,  blessed  be  God,  I  found  peace  and  joy 
and  assurance  in  Christ.  In  prayer  those  expressions 
in  the  86th  Psalm,  "ready  to  forgive,"  and  "plenteous 
in  mercy,"  were  brought  home  to  my  heart  in  power. 
I  trust  I  did  and  do  gladly  cast  myself  renewedly  on 
Jesus,  my  Saviour.  Just  before  dinner  time  I  went 
out  on  deck  to  walk  and  meditate.  Presently  my 
attention  was  attracted  by  Georgie  (Mrs.  B's  Httle 
girl)  singing  in  her  childish  manner  the  words  of  the 
hymn,  "He  will  give  you  grace  to  conquer."  Over 
and  over  again  she  said  it  as  if  singing  to  herself. 
They  v/ere  words  in  season.  My  heart  caught  the 
sound  gladly,  and  also  repeated  it  over  again  and 
again,  "He  will  give  you  grace  to  conquer."  I 
thought  of  the  parallel  Scripture,  "My  grace  is 
\  sufficient  for  thee."  The  Spirit  of  God  was  in  those 
I  words,  and  they  were  precious.  My  fears  were  all 
'  gone.  I  was  ready  to  go,  in  the  strength  of  this  word, 
to  China,  and  undertake  any  work  God  should  appoint. 
I  I  went  to  my  room,  and  with  a  full  heart  thanked  God 
for  this  consolation.  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  thou 
;  hast  ordained  strength.  I  am  glad  that  I  gave  this 
;  season  to  special  seeking  of  God;  it  has  done  me  good. 
Lord,  make  the  influence  of  it  to  be  felt.  I  had 
much  wandering  of  mind  at  first,  but  God  mercifully 
delivered  me  from  this.  O,  that  I  could  maintain 
habitually  a  devotional  spirit,  and  live  very  near  to 
the  blessed  Jesus ! 

Though  he  but  dimly  understood  it  then,  the  Lord 
was  in  the  school  of  experience  disciplining  him  in 
qualities  which  in  all  his  subsequent  work  he  needed 
to  put  into  exercise:   to  rest  on  the  promises  of  God 


HIS  INNER  LIFE  101 

in  darkness,  to  wait  patiently  under  delays  that  are 
disappointing,  and  to  endure  in  the  spirit  of  Christ 
the  contradictions  of  the  very  sinners  for  whose 
higher  welfare  he  was  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice, 
however  costly  to  himself. 

On  his  field  of  labor  he  was  too  busy  with  his  duties 
as  a  missionary  to  write  down  much  in  regard  to  his 
own  inner  life.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  to  regard  this 
as  a  thing  greatly  to  be  regretted.  The  fact  is  that 
during  the  decade  which  extended  from  his  admission 
to  membership  in  the  church  to  his  entrance  on  his 
work  in  China,  he  matured  in  his  religious  experience 
to  such  a  degree  that  subsequently,  though  there 
was  increasing  strength,  there  were  no  very  striking 
changes  on  this  side  of  his  character.  In  the  past  he 
had  set  before  himself,  as  a  mark  to  be  attained,  the 
thorough  consecration  of  himself  to  the  service  of 
God,  and  it  was  largely  because  by  introspection  he 
recognized  how  far  he  fell  short  of  this  that  he  some- 
times had  been  so  much  troubled  about  his  own 
spiritual  condition.  Henceforth  this  consecration,  as 
something  already  attained,  was  constantly  put  into 
practice.  He  perhaps  searched  himself  less  in  regard 
to  it;  he  did  his  best  to  live  it. 

In  connection  with  this,  two  characteristics  of  his 
inner  life  are  so  evident  as  to  demand  special  notice. 
One  of  these  was  his  convictions  as  to  religious  truth. 
He  beHeved  that  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  are  the  Word  of  God,  and  he  was  so 
sure  that  this  is  radically  essential  in  the  faith  of  a 


102        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

missionary  that  he  was  not  ready  to  welcome  any  recruit 

who  was  adrift  on  this  subject.    He  believed  also  with 

I  like  firmness  in  the  other  great  evangelical  doctrines 

set  forth  in  the  symbols  and  theologies  of  the  orthodox 

i  churches.     His  own  creed  was  Calvinistic  and  Pres- 

j  byterian;   yet  he  was  no  narrow  sectarian.     He  was 

eager  to   cooperate  with   the  missionaries  of  other 

denominations  than  his  own;   all  that  he  asked  was 

that  they  firmly  hold  to  what  he  conceived  to  be  the 

essentials  of  Christianity.     Because  he  believed  them 

so   strongly,   these   also   were   the   truths  which  he 

continually  labored  to  bring  home  to  the  people.     In 

a   memorial  published   by  Dr.   Corbett   concerning 

him,  he  says: 

Nearly  thirty  years  ago  I  asked  an  earnest  young 
man  who  applied  for  baptism,  when  he  first  became 
interested  in  the  truth.  He  replied:  "Since  the  day  I 
heard  Dr.  Mateer  preach  at  the  market  near  my  home, 
on  the  great  judgment,  when  everyone  must  give  an 
account  to  God.  His  sermon  made  such  an  impression 
on  my  mind  that  I  had  no  peace  until  I  learned  to 
trust  in  Jesus  as  my  Saviour."  An  able  Chinese 
preacher,  who  was  with  me  in  the  interior,  when  the 
news  of  Dr.  Mateer's  death  reached  us,  remarked, 
"I  shall  never  forget  the  wonderful  sermon  Dr. 
Mateer  preached  a  few  weeks  ago  in  the  Chinese 
church  at  Chefoo,  on  conscience."  This  was  the 
last  sermon  he  was  permitted  to  preach.  Salvation 
through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  man's  sinful- 
ness and  need  of  immediate  repentance,  and  faith,  and 
the  duty  of  every  Christian  to  live  a  holy  life  and 
constantly  bear  witness  for  Jesus,  were  the  great 


\ 


HIS  INNER  LIFE  103 

truths  he  always  emphasized.  He  died  in  the  faith 
of  the  blessed  gospel  he  so  ably  preached  for  nearly 
half  a  century. 

Hand  in  hand  with  these  great  convictions  went 
an  absolute  loyalty  to  duty.     To  this  he  subordinated 
everything  else.     The  reason  why  he  toiled  with  his 
^   own  hands,  on  buildings,  on  machinery,  on  apparatus, 
was  not  because  he  would  rather  do  this  than  preach 
Christ,  but  because  he  was  convinced  that  the  situa- 
tion was  such  that  he  could  not  with  a  good  conscience 
[  refuse  to  perform  that  labor.     It  was  not  his  prefer- 
ence to  give  long  years  to  the  making  of  the  Mandarin 
version  of  the  Scriptures;  he  did  it  because  plainly  it 
was  his  duty  to  engage  in  this  wearisome  task.     He 
fought  with  his  pen  his  long  battle  for  Shen  as  the 
word  to  be  used  in  Chinese  as  the  name  of  God;  and 
even  when  left  in  a  commonly  conceded  minority, 
still  refused  to  yield,  only  because  he  believed  that  in 
so  doing  he  was  standing  up  for  something  that  was 
not  only  true  but  of  vital  importance  to  Christianity 
j  in  China.     His  unwillingness  under  protracted  pres- 
I  sure  to  introduce  English  into  the  curriculum  of  the 
Tengchow  school  and    college,  the   heartbreak  with 
I  which  he  saw  the  changes  made  in  the  institution  after 
I  its  removal  to  Wei  Hsien,  were  all  due  not  to  obsti- 
I  nancy  but  to  convictions  of  duty  as  he  saw  it. 

A  man  of  this  sort, — strong  in  intellect,  firm  of  will, 
absolutely  loyal  to  what  he  conceives  to  be  his  duty, — 
travels  a  road  with  serious  perils  along  its  Kne.  A  loss 
of  balance  may  make  of  him  a  bigot  or  a  dangerous 


104        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

fanatic.  Even  Dr.  Mateer  had  "the  defects  of  his 
qualities."  He  did  not  always  make  sufl&cient 
allowance  for  persons  who  could  not  see  things  just 
as  he  did.  He  sometimes  unwarrantably  questioned 
the  rectitude  of  others'  conduct  when  it  did  not  corn- 
form  to  his  own  conception  of  what  they  ought  to 
have  done.  But  these  defects  were  not  serious  enough 
greatly  to  mar  his  usefulness  or  to  spoil  the  beauty 
of  his  character.  His  wisdom  as  a  rule,  his  rectitude, 
his  entire  consecration  to  the  service  of  God  in  the 
work  of  missions,  his  wealth  of  heart,  after  all,  were 
so  unquestionable  that  any  wounds  he  inflicted  soon 
healed;  and  he  was  in  an  exceptional  degree  esteemed 
and  revered  by  all  who  came  into  close  touch  with 
him. 

Was  Dr.  Mateer  a  very  ''spiritually-minded  man"? 
It  is  not  strange  that  this  question  was  raised,  though 
rarely,  by  some  one  who  saw  only  the  outside  of  his  life, 
and  this  at  his  sterner  moments.  He  even  did  much 
of  his  private  praying  when  he  was  walking  up  and 
down  in  his  room,  or  taking  recreation  out  on  the  city 
wall,  and  when  no  one  but  wife  or  sister  knew  what 
he  was  doing.  One  had  to  be  admitted  to  the  inner 
shrine  of  his  heart  to  appreciate  the  fervor  of  his  piety. 


vn 

DOING  THE  WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST 

"I  have  traveled  in  mule  litters,  on  donkeys,  and  on  foot 
over  a  large  part  of  the  province  of  Shantung,  preaching  from 
village  to  village,  on  the  streets,  and  by  the  wayside.  Over 
the  nearer  portions  I  have  gone  again  and  again.  My  preach- 
ing tours  would  aggregate  from  twelve  thousand  to  fifteen 
thousand  miles,  including  from  eight  thousand  to  twelve 
thousand  addresses  to  the  heathen."— autobiographical 
SKETCH,  1897. 

THE  first  thing  which  Mateer  set  himself  to  do, 
after  he  arrived  at  Tengchow,  was  to  acquire 
the  language  of  the  people.  The  difficulties 
which  the  Chinese  tongue  presents  to  the  foreigner  are 
too  well  known  to  need  recital  here,  nor  was  it  easier  to 
Mateer  than  to  other  persons  possessed  of  good  ability 
and  thorough  education.  In  January,  1902,  at  the 
request  of  Secretary  Speer,  he  prepared  for  the  use  of 
the  Board  of  Missions  a  paper  on  the  subject  of 
''Missionaries  and  the  Language."  In  it  he  does  not 
profess  to  be  telling  his  own  experience,  and  yet  it  is 
largely  an  exhibit  of  what  he  had  himself  done.  In 
the  introductory  paragraph  he  says: 

One  of  the  tasks,  and  to  many  one  of  the  trials,  of 
missionary  life,  is  the  learning  of  a  new,  and  often  a 
difficult  language.  So  far  as  the  message  of  the  gospel 
is  concerned,  the  tongue  is  tied  until  the  language  is 
learned.     I  set  it  down  as  a  first  principle,  that  every 

105 


106        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

missionary  should  go  out  with  a  distinct  and  fixed 
determination  to  learn  the  language  and  to  learn  it 
well.  Let  there  be  no  shrinking  from  it,  no  half 
measures  with  it.  Laxity  of  this  purpose  in  this 
matter  is  unworthy  of  anyone  who  is  called  to  be  a 
missionary.  When  I  hear  a  young  missionary,  after  a 
few  weeks  or  months  on  the  field,  saying,  ''I  hate  this 
language;  who  can  learn  such  outlandish  gibberish  as 
this?"  my  opinion  of  his  fitness  for  the  work  at  once 
suffers  a  heavy  discount.  Every  young  missionary 
should  consider  it  his  or  her  special  business  to  fall  in 
love  with  the  language  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Then  he  proceeds  to  lay  down  certain  general 
principles  and  thoroughly  to  elaborate  them;  insisting 
that  everyone  can  learn  the  tongue  of  a  people,  not 
merely  well  enough  to  make  some  sort  of  stagger  at 
the  use  of  it,  but  thoroughly;  and  giving  directions 
as  to  the  best  method  of  accomplishing  this  result. 
At  the  same  time  he  recognizes  the  fact  that  by  no 
means  all  missionaries  are  able  to  acquire  the  language 
so  perfectly  that  they  are  competent  to  contribute  to 
the  permanent  Christian  literature  of  the  country. 

In  his  case  there  were  exceptional  difficulties^as  to 
this  preliminary  work.  Printed  helps  were  few  and  not 
very  good.  Competent  native  teachers  were  almost 
impossible  to  obtain  at  Tengchow,  and  were  Kable  at 
any  time  to  abandon  their  work.  Besides,  so  long  as 
the  Mateers  were  hampered  by  their  narrow  quarters, 
along  with  other  missionaries,  in  the  old  temple,  and 
while  he  was  compelled  to  give  almost  the  whole  of  his 
strength  to  the  repairs  and  construction  of  buildings, 


WORK  OF  AN   EVANGELIST       107 

for  him  to  accomplish  what  he  otherwise  might  have 
done  in  this  Kne  was  impossible.  Under  date  of 
December  24,  1864,  almost  a  year  after  his  arrival 
at  Tengchow,  he  wrote  in  his  Journal: 

I  have  been  studying  pretty  regularly  this  week,  yet 
to  look  back  over  it,  I  cannot  see  that  I  have  ac- 
complished much.  Learning  Chinese  is  slow  work. 
I  do  not  wonder  that  the  Chinese  have  never  made 
great  advances  in  learning.  It  is  such  a  herculean 
task  to  get  the  language  that  a  man's  best  energies  are 
gone  by  the  time  he  has  himself  prepared  to  work.  It 
is  as  if  a  mechanic  should  spend  half  his  life,  or  more, 
in  getting  his  tools  ready.  Before  I  came  to  China 
I  feared  that  I  would  have  trouble  acquiring  the 
language,  and  I  find  my  fears  were  well  grounded. 

This  confession  is  very  notable,  coming  as  it  does 
from  the  pen  of  him  who  subsequently,  as  one  of  his 
associates  said  after  his  death,  ''became  not  only  the 
prince  of  Mandarin  speakers  among  foreigners  in 
China,  but  also  so  grasped  the  principles  of  the 
language  as  to  enable  him  in  future  years  to  issue 
the  most  thoroughgoing  and  complete  work  on  the 
language,  the  most  generally  used  text-book  for  all 
students  of  the  spoken  tongue";  and  it  may  be  added, 
who  was  selected  by  the  missionaries  of  all  China,  in 
conference,  to  be  chairman  of  the  committee  to  revise 
the  Mandarin  version  of  the  Scriptures,  and  who  in 
all  that  work  was  easily  the  chief.  The  diligence 
with  which  he  improved  every  spare  moment  in  the 
study  of  the  language  is  shown  by  a  letter  of  Mrs. 


108        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Julia  Mateer,  in  which  she  writes  of  reading  aloud 
to  her  husband  in  the  evening  while  he  practiced  writ- 
ing Chinese  characters. 

Really  he  was  making  better  progress  than  probably 
he  himself  imagined.  On  January  14,  1865,  he  began 
to  go  regularly  into  the  school,  to  teach  the  children 
a  phonetic  method  of  writing  the  Chinese  characters. 
He  records  that  on  February  7  he  took  charge  of 
the  morning  prayers,  and  adds: 

It  seemed  very  strange  indeed  to  me  to  pray  in 
Chinese,  and  no  less  awkward  than  strange.  I  found, 
however,  less  embarrassment  in  doing  it  than  I  at  first 
supposed.  I  might  easily  have  begun  some  time  ago, 
but  our  school-teacher  performs  the  duty  very  accept- 
ably, and  so  I  left  the  matter  to  him  until  I  was  fully 
prepared.  I  trust  that  it  will  not  be  long  till  I  will 
be  at  home  in  using  Chinese. 

r-^      Tengchow  is  the  seat  of  one  of  the  competitive 

^a\     literary  examinations  for  students,  and  at  the  season 

\    when  these  are  held  thousands  of  candidates  present 

themselves.     Under  date  of  March  11,  of  that  year, 

he  says: 

A  goodly  number  of  the  scholars  have  come  to  see 
me,  to  get  books  and  to  hear  ''the  doctrine."  I  have 
had  opportunity  to  do  considerable  preaching,  which 
I  have  not  failed  to  embrace.  Some  of  them  under- 
stood me  quite  well.  I  find  a  great  difference  between 
talking  to  them  and  to  the  illiterate  people.  They 
understand  me  a  great  deal  better.  Most  of  them 
listen  with  attention,  and  some  of  them  with  evident 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       109 

interest.  They  all  treated  me  with  respect.  I  gave 
them  books;  they  promising  to  read  them,  and  to 
come  again  at  the  next  examination. 

These  occasions  continued  to  offer  like  opportunity 
in  succeeding  years,  and  he  took  all  the  advantage  of 
it  that  he  could.     Only  rarely  did  students  give  him 
any  cause  for  annoyance.     On  May  22  he  went  to  a 
fair  that  was  held  just  outside  one  of  the  gates,  and 
tried  his  hand  at  preaching  to  that  miscellaneous 
audience  in  the  open  air.     In  the  forenoon  he  talked 
himself  tired,  and  returned  in  the  afternoon  to  repeat 
the  effort,  but  with  what  effect  he  could  not  tell. 
Rain  came  on  and  he  had  to  stop.     He  added  in  his 
Journal,  ''Oh,  how  I  wish  that  I  could  use  Chinese  as 
I  can  Enghsh,— then  I  could  preach  with  some  com- 
fort!"    On  Sabbath,  June  19,  he  preached  his  first 
sermon  before   the  httle   Chinese  church  organized 
at  Tengchow.     The  notice  he  had  was  short.  Mills 
having  been  taken  ill,  and  sending  him  word  that  he 
must  fill  the  pulpit.     He  says:   ''I  could  not  prepare 
a  sermon,  and  translate  it  carefully  and  accurately. 
I  had  just  to  get  ready  some  phrases,  and  statements 
of  the  main  points,  and  depend  on  my  Chinese  for  the 
rest     I  got  on  better  than  I  expected  I  should,  though 
to  me  at  least  it  seemed  poor  enough."     We  need  not 
follow  the  process  of  his  acquisition  of  the  language  any 
further,  except  to  say  that  he  never  ceased  to  study  it, 
and  to  seek  to  improve  in  it,  although  he  came  by 
and  by  to  be  able  to  use  it,  in  both  speaking  and  writ- 
ing, so  well  that  the  Chinese  often  took  more  pleasure 


no        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

in  hearing  and  reading  his  productions  than  if  he  had 
been  a  native. 

As  the  senior  missionary,  Mills  had  charge  of  the 
church  organized  at  Tengchow,  and  any  preaching 
that  Mateer  did  in  it  was  occasional.  It  was  not 
long  before  a  movement  was  organized  for  evangelistic 
work  on  the  streets,  and  he  gladly  took  part  in  that 
method  of  work.  He  was  anxious  also  to  obtain  a 
room  which  he  could  use  as  a  chapel.  His  first  efforts 
to  secure  such  a  building  were  rendered  futile  on 
account  of  the  intense  opposition  of  the  people,  and 
the  disinclination,  or  worse,  of  the  ofhcials  to  enforce 
his  legal  rights  in  this  matter,  under  the  treaty.  It 
was  not  until  the  middle  of  April,  1867,  that  he  suc- 
ceeded in  opening  a  room  where  he  and  his  Chinese 
assistant  could  have  a  regular  place  for  preaching  and 
selling  books.  It  stood  on  a  principal  street,  and 
was,  therefore,  as  to  location,  well  suited  for  the  work 
to  which  it  was  set  apart.  The  opening  of  it  was  the 
occasion  for  the  gathering  of  a  crowd  of  rowdies  who 
threw  stones  at  the  doors,  and  otherwise  created  dis- 
turbance; but  prompt  arrest  of  the  ringleader  and 
the  haling  of  him  before  a  magistrate  brought  the 
rowdyism  to  a  close.  Of  course,  the  school  afforded 
another  local  opportunity  for  evangelization,  and  it 
was  from  the  very  first  effectually  employed. 
(^  Tengchow  itself  was  not  very  responsive  to  the 
gospel.  The  demand  for  books  was  soon  satisfied 
i  to  such  an  extent  that  sales  became  small.  The 
novelty  of  street  preaching  and  of  the  chapel  services 


\ 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       111 

gradually  was  exhausted.     The  little  church  did  not 
■j  attract  many  on   the   Sabbath,   except   the  regular 
attendants.     True,   a   city  of   so   many  inhabitants 
might  seem — notwithstanding  such  limitations  as  ex- 
isted— a  sufficient  field  for  all  the  labor  that  could  be 
put  upon  it  by  the  little  band  of  missionaries  located 
,     there.     But  beyond  the  walls  was  all  the  rest  of  the 
l'^  province  of  Shantung,  with  none  to  evangelize  it  save 
the   missionaries   at   Chefoo   and   Tengchow.     That 
\^  |i  province  is  in  area  about  one-tliird  larger  than  the 
V  State  of  Pennsylvania;   and  it  now  has  somewhere  in 
(.?  the  neighborhood  of  thirty  milHons  of  inhabitants, 
:   mostly    scattered    in    innumerable    villages,    though 
frequently  also  concentrated  in  cities.     The  climate 
is  about  that  of  Kentucky,  and  the  productions  of 
the  soil  are  not  very  different.     Part  of  the  surface 
of  the  country  is  hilly  and  some  of  it  rises  into  moun- 
tains of  moderate  height;    but  most  of  it  is  level  or 
slightly  rolling.     Writing  to  one  of  the  secretaries  of 
_      the  Board,  under  date  of  May  lo,  1869,  Mateer  thus 
expressed  himself  as  to  the  strategic  importance  of 
Shantung  in  the  tremendous  enterprise  of  evangelizing 
China: 

I  think  it  is  almost  universally  admitted  that  Tsinan 
fu  [the  capital,  situated  about  three  hundred  miles 
southwest  of  Tengchow]  offers  the  most  promising 
field  for  missionary  effort  in  China.  The  region  in 
which  this  city  lies  is  the  religious  center  of  China. 
Here  both  the  great  sages  of  China,  Confucius  and 
Mencius,  were  born.     At  Tai  An,  a  short  way  to  the 


112        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

,  south,  the  great  religious  festival  of  China  is  held,  and 
there  are  unmistakable  evidences  that  there  is  a  re- 
ligious element  in  the  people  of  this  province  found 
nowhere  else  in  China.  I  feel  like  saying  with  all  my 
might,  Let  the  Presbyterian  Church  strike  for  this 
province.  It  has  given  both  religion  and  government 
to  China  in  the  ages  that  are  past,  and  it  is  going  to 
give  Christianity  to  China  in  the  future. 

These  pioneer  missionaries  in  Shantung  as  promptly 
as  possible  sought,  first  by  itineration,  and  later  by 
opening  new  stations,  to  carry  the  gospel  far  and  wide 
over  the  province.  In  this  they  labored  under  one 
serious  inconvenience  from  which  their  brethren  in 
much  of  south  China  are  exempt.  Down  there  it  is 
easy  to  travel  extensively  on  the  rivers  and  the 
numerous  canals.  In  Shantung  the  one  great  river 
is  the  Hoang,  or  Yellow,  running  from  the  west  toward 
the  east;  and  the  one  important  canal  is  the  Grand, 
running  north  and  south;  and  both  of  these  are  so 
far  remote  from  Chefoo  and  Tengchow  that  in  the 
itineration  of  the  missionaries  from  these  places  they 
were  of  little  use.  As  a  consequence  they  had  to 
adopt  the  other  methods  of  travel  customary  in  that 
region.  Even  to-day,  though  a  railway  runs  from 
the  coast  at  Kiaochou,  across  Shantung  to  Tsinan  fu, 
and  another  across  the  west  end  of  the  province  and 
passing  through  Tsinan  fu  is  almost  completed,  much 
of  the  territory  is  no  more  accessible  than  half  a 
century  ago.  The  traveler  can  hire  a  mule,  or  more 
probably  a  donkey,  and — throwing  his  bedding  across 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       113 

the  packsaddle — make  his  way,  with  the  owner  of 
the  animal  running  along  as  driver,  to  the  place  where, 
if  he  proceeds  farther,  he  must  hire  a  second  mule  or 
donkey;  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  his  journey.  One 
can  also  travel  by  wheelbarrow.  These  conveyances 
are  considered  to  be  quite  genteel,  and  are  much 
patronized  by  Chinese  women.  The  wheels  are  big 
and  clumsy,  and,  being  innocent  of  oil,  creak  fearfully, 
and  as  the  wheelbarrows  are  without  springs  the 
passenger  is  jolted  excruciatingly.  They  are  propelled 
by  a  man  pushing  by  the  handles,  and  often  with  the 
aid  of  another,  and  sometimes  a  donkey  in  front,  and 
it  may  be  with  a  sail  to  catch  the  wind.  In  the  hilly 
regions  the  shentza,  or  mule  litter,  is  common.  In 
describing  this  conveyance  Mateer  said  in  one  of  his 
Sunday-school  letters: 

The  motion  is  various  and  peculiar.  Sometimes 
the  mules  step  together,  and  sometimes  they  don't. 
Now  you  have  a  plunging  motion  Hke  the  shaking  of 
a  pepper  box,  then  comes  a  waving  motion  like  the 
shaking  of  a  sieve ;  and  then  a  rolling  motion  like  the 
rocking  of  a  cradle,  and  then  by  turns  these  various 
motions  mix  up  and  modify  each  other  in  endless 
variety.  I  have  often  thought  that  if  a  man  had  a  stiff 
joint,  one  of  these  shentzas  would  be  a  good  thing  to 
shake  it  loose.  You  are  completely  at  the  mercy  of 
these  two  mules.  If  you  are  sitting  up  you  think  that 
you  would  be  more  comfortable  lying  down,  and  if  you 
are  lying  down  you  think  that  you  would  be  more 
comfortable  sitting  up.  There  is  no  relief  from  inces- 
sant shaking  but  to  get  out  and  walk. 
8 


114        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

The  most  genteel  mode  of  travel  is  a  two-wheeled 
cart,  provided  always  that  the  track  called  a  road  is 
wide  and  level  enough  to  permit  it  to  be  used.  I  fall 
back  on  the  Sunday-school  letter  for  a  description 
of  it: 

A  Chinese  cart  is  heavy  and  clumsy  to  the  last 
degree.  It  has  no  springs,  no  seat,  no  cushions,  and 
is  only  wide  enough  for  one  to  sit  in  it.  The  only  way 
to  keep  your  arms  and  head  from  being  broken  by 
the  top,  is  to  wedge  yourself  in  with  quilts  and  pillows. 
Passenger  carts  are  usually  drawn  by  two  mules,  one 
in  the  shafts  and  the  other  directly  in  front,  hitched 
by  two  long  ropes  to  the  axle — one  passing  on  each 
side  of  the  shaft  mule.  The  driver  either  walks,  or 
rides  on  the  back  part  of  the  shafts.  ...  I  took 
one  ride  in  one  of  these  big  carts,  which  I  shall  re- 
member while  I  live.  We  had  all  gone  to  a  country 
station,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  Tengchow, 
to  a  meeting  of  Presbytery.  After  Presbytery  we 
wished  to  go  on  to  another  station  forty  miles  distant. 
There  had  been  a  great  rain,  and  the  ground  was  soft, 
and  we  could  get  no  conveyance.  At  length  we  got 
a  big  cart  to  carry  our  luggage  and  Dr.  Mills  and 
myself.  For  it  they  rigged  up  a  top  made  of  sticks 
and  pieces  of  matting.  The  team  consisted  of  a  mule, 
a  horse,  and  two  oxen,  with  two  drivers.  Mrs. 
Mateer  had  a  donkey  to  ride,  and  Mrs.  Capp  had  a 
sedan  chair.  Dr.  Mills  and  myself  took  turns  in 
walking  with  the  native  elder  and  assistant.  When 
we  got  all  our  effects,  bedding,  cooking  utensils  and 
so  forth,  in  the  cart  there  was  only  room  for  one  to  sit, 
and  the  other  had  to  lie  down.  The  first  day  we 
dragged  through  the  soft  earth  fifteen  miles,  but  in 
order  to  do  it  we  had  to  travel  an  hour  after  night.     It 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       115 

was  pitch  dark  and  we  had  no  lantern.  We  came 
very  near  losing  our  way,  and  finally  had  no  small 
trouble  in  reaching  an  inn,  and  when  we  did  reach  it 
what  a  fuss  there  was  before  we  got  stowed  in  and  got 
our  suppers !  We  obtained  a  small  room  for  the  ladies, 
but  Dr.  Mills  and  I  did  not  fare  so  well.  We  had  to 
sleep  on  the  ground  in  a  sort  of  shed  which  had  no 
doors.  The  next  day  we  got  an  early  start,  and  found 
the  roads  a  Httle  better,  and  managed  to  make  the 
other  twenty-five  miles.  During  the  day  we  crossed 
a  sandy  river  which  was  swollen  by  the  rains,  and 
there  was  some  danger  that  we  might  stick  fast  in 
the  sand.  The  native  assistant  crowded  into  the 
cart.  The  elder  put  one  foot  on  the  end  of  the  axle, 
which  in  a  Chinese  cart  projects  several  inches  beyond 
the  hub,  and  supported  himself  by  holding  on  to  the 
side  of  the  cart.  The  second  driver  perched  himself 
in  the  same  way  on  the  other  end  of  the  axle.  The 
chief  driver  stood  erect  on  the  shafts,  astride  of  the 
shaft  mule.  He  flourished  his  whip  with  one  hand 
and  gesticulated  with  the  other,  and  both  drivers 
hurrahed  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  The  team  got 
excited,  and  with  heads  and  tails  erect, — with  a 
splash  and  a  dash, — we  went  safely  through. 

There  is  one  other  mode  of  travel,  and  perhaps 
then  still  the  most  common  of  all,  even  with  mission- 
aries when  itinerating,  and  that  is  to  walk.  When  the 
traveler  on  foot  comes  to  a  river  if  he  has  long  patience 
he  may  be  ferried  across ;  but  if  the  stream  is  not  very 
deep  he  may  have  to  wade.  Mateer,  however,  had 
a  good  strong  physique  and  simple  tastes,  and  was 
entirely  free  from  any  disposition  to  fret  over  small 
annoyances.     In    those    earlier   itinerating   days    he 


116        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

cheerfully  took  his  full  share  in  roughing  it  with  other 
missionaries  out  in  the  province.  He  repeatedly  took 
trips  when  all  the  provision  he  made  for  eating  was  a 
spoon  and  a  saltcellar;  the  food  he  ate  was  such  as 
he  got  at  the  inns  and  from  place  to  place.  His 
experiences  in  this  line  of  evangelistic  efforts  had  an 
important  influence  on  his  work  in  the  school  and 
the  college.  Certainly  it  was  a  great  help  toward 
that  remarkable  acquaintance  with  colloquial  Chinese 
which  is  shown  in  his  literary  labors. 

His  first  trip  to  the  country  was  made  on  October 
14,  1864,  and  therefore  before  he  had  learned  the 
language  sufficiently  to  enable  him  to  do  much  mis- 
sionary work.  In  reality  it  was  just  a  visit  by  the 
entire  foreign  force  stationed  by  both  the  Baptists 
and  Presbyterians  at  Tengchow  out  to  a  Chinese 
Christian  residing  ten  miles  away.  In  a  measure, 
however,  it  was  a  typical  journey.  The  roads  were 
execrably  bad,  and  Mateer  and  another  missionary 
had  one  mule  between  them,  so  that  each  walked  half 
the  way.  On  August  22  of  the  ensuing  year  he, 
and  Corbett, — who  had  come  up  for  the  purpose, — 
started  on  a  genuine  itinerating  tour.  It  was  in  one 
particular  an  unfavorable  time.  A  Chinese  inn  at 
any  season  is  apt  to  be  uncomfortable  enough  to  a 
person  who  has  been  accustomed  to  the  conveniences 
and  comforts  of  western  civilization.  In  the  Sunday- 
school  letter  already  quoted  Mateer  said: 

The  inns  in  China  are  various  in  size,  but  similar  in 
style.    You  enter  through  a  wide  doorway  which  is  in 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       117 

fact  the  middle  of  a  long,  low  house  fronting  on  the 
street.  On  the  one  side  of  this  door,  or  passageway,  is 
the  kitchen,  which  is  usually  furnished  with  one  or 
two  kettles,  a  large  water  jar,  and  a  few  dishes,  with 
a  meat-chopper  and  chopping  block.  Usually  there 
is  a  Httle  room  partitioned  off  at  the  far  end,  which 
serves  for  ofhce  and  storeroom.  On  the  other  side  is 
a  wide,  raised  platform  about  two  feet  high,  made  of 
mud  brick.  It  answers  for  the  muleteers  and  humbler 
guests,  to  sleep  on.  Inside  of  this  front  building  is  a 
court  or  yard  with  a  long  shed  at  one  or  both  sides, 
and  troughs  for  feeding  mules  and  donkeys.  At  the 
further  end  of  this  court,  and  sometimes  at  one  side, 
are  rooms  for  guests.  These  rooms  contain  no  furni- 
ture but  a  table  and  a  bench  or  two,  and  sometim.es 
a  chair,  with  a  rough  board  bedstead,  or  a  raised  brick 
platform  to  take  the  place  of  a  bedstead.  No  towel, 
soap,  or  other  toilet  necessaries  are  furnished.  They 
usually  have  one  washbasin,  which  is  passed  round, 
and  is  used  besides  for  washing  the  sore  backs  of  mules, 
and  for  such  other  necessary  uses.  There  are  no 
stoves  or  other  means  of  warming  the  rooms.  Some- 
times they  build  a  fire  of  straw  under  those  brick 
bedsteads,  which  invariably  fills  the  room  with  smoke. 
Or,  you  can  order  a  pan  of  charcoal,  which  will  fill 
the  room  with  gas.  The  houses  are  all  one  story  and 
have  no  ceihng.  The  rafters  are  smoked  as  black  as 
ink,  and  are  always  festooned  with  cobwebs.  The 
rooms  never  have  wooden  floors.  In  the  more  stylish 
inns  the  floors  are  paved  with  brick,  but  in  ordinary 
inns  the  floors  are  simply  the  ground.  In  the  summer 
fleas  and  mosquitoes  are  superabundant,  and  they 
attack  aU  comers  without  respect  of  persons.  Every 
night  there  is  in  the  courtyard  a  musical  concert 
which  continues  at  intervals  till  morning,  and  is  free 


118        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

to  all  the  guests.  The  tune  is  carried  by  the  mules 
and  donkeys,  and  the  scolding  and  swearing  of  the 
muleteers  make  up  the  accompaniment.  Voices  of 
great  excellence  are  often  heard  in  America,  but  for 
real  pathos  and  soul-stirring  effect  there  is  nothing  like 
a  dozen  or  two  Chinese  donkeys,  when  they  strike  in 
together  and  vie  with  each  other  for  the  preeminence. 
No  common  table  is  set,  but  meals  are  prepared  to 
order  and  served  to  guests  in  their  rooms.  They 
are  generally  charged  for  by  the  dish. 

Unfortunately  Mateer  and  Corbett  had  selected 
for  their  first  itineration  a  time  of  year  when  the 
mosquitoes  and  fleas  and  other  vermin  are  at  their 
worst,  and  they  suffered  accordingly. 

They  were  gone  just  four  weeks;   and  during  that 

period  they  traveled  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 

miles.     Much  of  the  time  it  rained.     At  Laichow  fu 

for  this  cause  they  were  detained  a  week;  and  they 

had  to  lodge  in  a  room  whose  roof  leaked  so  badly 

that  they  had  to  protect  themselves  with  oilcloths 

and  umbrellas.     The  water  was  three  feet  deep  on 

the  floor.     One  day  they  crossed  twenty-two  streams, 

none  of  them  large,  and  yet  often  of  such  a  character 

as  to  render  passage  very  troublesome.     For  a  while 

they  had  a  shentza  borne  by  a  couple  of  crowbait 

mules,  one  of  which  was  blind  and  had  the  trick  of 

suddenly  lying  down  for  a  rest,  and  occasionally  fell 

i   flat  into  a  mudhole,  or  tumbled  its  rider  over  a  steep 

\  bank.     They  met  with  a  variety  of  treatment  from 

V,      the  people,  but  mostly  it  was  not  unfavorable  to  the 

'  prosecution  of  their  work.     Foreigners  were  still  a 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       119 

curiosity  in  the  region,  and  that  often  attracted  a 
crowd  to  see  them,  and  to  ascertain  by  hearing  and 
by  reading  what  might  be  the  nature  of  the  Christian 
doctrine.  Once  it  became  necessary  for  Mateer  to 
use  force  to  repel  a  man  who  persistently  tried  to  seize 
a  book.  Each  of  the  missionaries  preached  about 
forty  times,  and  at  all  sorts  of  places.  Their  largest 
evident  success  was  in  disposing  of  books;  these  for 
the  most  part  by  sale,  the  total  of  pages  distributed 
amounting  to  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  thou- 
sand. The  details  of  the  tour  are  given  in  Mateer's 
Journal.  If  preserved,  they  will  one  day  be  of  extreme 
interest  to  the  Christians  of  China,  as  records  of  the 
very  beginnings  of  the  teaching  of  the  gospel  in 
Shantung. 

Again,   the  next  spring  Mateer  and  Corbett,  ac- 
companied by  Chinese  assistants,  went  on  another 
tour  of  preaching  and  of  book-selHng.     Mateer  left 
Tengchow  on  April  5,  and  reached  home  on  May  19. 
They  started  with  twenty-eight  boxes  of  books,  each 
weighing  about  seventy  pounds;    and,  because  they 
had  exhausted  the  supply,  they  had  to  turn  back  before 
reaching  the  place  to  which  they  had  originally  in- 
tended to  go.     One  of  the  noteworthy  things  in  their  i 
itinerary  is  that  it  brought  them  for  the  first  time  to  • 
Wei  Hsien,  now  one  of   the  largest  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian mission  stations  in  north  China,  and  the  site  of  s 
the    College   of   Arts   of   the   Shantung   University^ 
and   to  Tsingchow  fu,   the  site  of  the  Theological 
College.     In  both  towns  the  Presbyterians  and  the 


120        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Baptists   are  united.     All  that    Mateer  said  in  his 
Journal  concerning  Wei  Hsien  is: 

We  did  not  go  through  the  city,  except  the  suburbs. 
The  streets  were  full  of  people,  and  they  were  not 
sparing  in  their  expressions  of  enmity  and  contempt. 
We  saw  a  great  number  of  elegant  memorial  arches 
near  Wei  Hsien  and  learned  that  it  is  a  very  wealthy 
place.  This  was  indicated  by  the  many  elegant 
burying  grounds  around  it,  and  by  the  good  condition 
of  the  walls.  The  country  all  around,  and  indeed 
most  we  passed  through  to-day,  was  very  rich.  A 
man  on  the  road  who  appeared  to  know  told  us  that 
one  individual,  the  richest  in  the  city,  was  worth  three 
million  taels  [then  more  than  as  many  milhon  dollars]. 

Tsingchow  fu  receives  from  him  a  much  more 
extended  notice.  He  speaks  of  the  city — although 
very  much  smaller  than  evidently  it  once  had  been — 
as  still  large  and  filled  with  business.  The  surrounding 
country  wins  from  him  great  admiration.  Indeed, 
at  several  places  he  was  much  attracted  by  the  pros- 
pect which  spread  itself  out  before  his  eyes;  and 
some  of  it  reminded  him  even  of  the  natural  scenery 
of  his  ''Old  Home"  in  Pennsylvania.  Of  course,  it 
must  not  be  supposed  that  all  the  region  they  tra- 
versed was  the  equal  of  this;  much  of  it  was  far  less 
attractive  in  almost  every  particular. 

On  this  journey  they  had  a  great  variety  of  experi- 
ences, some  of  them  far  enough  from  pleasant. 
Nearly  everywhere  they  went,  curiosity  attracted 
crowds  of  adults  and  of  children.  This  seems  to 
have  been  especially  true  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wei 


V 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       121 

Hsien  and  Tsingchow  fu.  At  the  inns  where  they 
stopped,  privacy  was  almost  impossible;  the  people 
peering  in  at  the  windows  and  bolting  into  the  room 
they  occupied.  Sometimes  they  were  compelled  to 
expel  the  intruders  with  a  dash  of  water  or  with  an 
uplifted  cane.  Harder  to  bear  were  the  opprobrious 
epithets  appHed  to  them.     Mateer  said: 

Every  village  I  come  to,  the  term,  "devil!"  "devil!" 
comes  ringing  in  my  ears.  Not  that  they  always 
called  it  at  me,  but  to  one  another,  to  come  and  see. 
Frequently,  however,  it  was  called  out  most  spitefully, 
for  me  to  hear.  I  think  that  within  the  last  two  days 
I  have  heard  it  from  at  least  ten  thousand  mouths. 
It  is  strange  how  such  a  term  could  have  gotten  such 
universal  currency.  It  expresses  not  so  much  hatred 
to  the  gospel  as  it  does  the  national  enmity  of  the 
li  Chinese  to  foreigners. 

Happily  at  the  present  time  foreigners  are  seldom 
saluted  by  this  epithet.     At  Chang  Tsau  they  had 
two  serious  disturbances.     The  first  was  caused  by 
some  sort  of  soothsayer,  in  whom  the  people  had 
much  confidence.     While  Mateer  was  surrounded  by  a 
crowd  of  men  to  whom  he  was  selling  books,  in  rushed  i 
this  man,   brandishing  an  ugly  looking  spear;   and, 
using  the  Chinese  expression  of  rage,  "Ah!  Ah!  I'll  kill  > 
you!"  he  drove  the  spear  straight  at  Mateer's  breast. ; 
In  those  early  days  of  his  missionary  work  Mateer  > 
carried   a   revolver   for   self-defense   when   going   to' 
places  where  he  might  be  attacked,  believing  that  he 
had  a  moral  right  to  protect  himself  from  assault  by; 


w 


122        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

evil-minded  persons.  On  this  occasion  the  revolver 
was  drawn  instantly.  As  the  man  came  closer 
Mateer  seized  the  spear,  and  warned  the  intruder 
of  the  consequences  if  he  advanced  a  step  farther. 
The  risk  was  too  great  for  the  courage  of  the  sooth- 
sayer, and  he  went  away  crestfallen,  but  cursing  the 
•'  missionary,  threatening  to  return  and  kill  him,  and 
launching  his  anathemas  against  anybody  who  bought 
the  books.  After  the  disturbance  the  people  were  not 
so  eager  to  buy,  and  an  official  tried  to  induce  Mateer 
to  cease  his  efforts,  but,  partly  to  show  the  futihty 
of  such  interruptions,  he  continued,  until  at  length 
weariness  compelled  him  to  stop. 

The  other  incident  occurred  in  connection  with  the 
selHng  of  books  at  a  market.  A  man  took  advantage 
of  a  moment  when  the  missionary  was  receiving  pay 
from  a  purchaser,  and  snatched  away  a  book,  but 
Mateer  seized  and  held  him  until  the  book  was 
restored.  This  led  to  an  altercation  between  the 
Chinese  assistant  and  the  thief,  and  blows  were  struck. 
The  disturbance  began  to  spread,  and  several  of  the 
crowd  seemed  disposed  to  lay  hands  on  Mateer, 
when  a  significant  reference  to  the  revolver  brought 
the  movement  to  a  prompt  termination.  In  order  to 
show  the  people  that  the  missionaries  were  doing  only 
itwhat  is  lawful  under  the  treaty,  and  that  they  would 
If  not  put  up  with  insult  or  wrong,  they  sought  satis- 
faction through  the  official  having  jurisdiction,  and 
warned  him  that  the  case  would  be  brought  to  the 
notice  of  the  American  consul  at  Chefoo. 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       123 

There  is  no  record  of  any  itineration  again  until 
the  latter  part  of  February,  1869.  That  trip  was  not 
long  in  duration  or  very  extensive  in  its  territory. 
Julia  and  her  sister  Maggie  accompanied  Dr.  Mateer 
and  were  able  to  reach  large  numbers  of  women  with 
the  gospel.  July  2 1  of  the  same  year  he  and  Julia  went 
on  a  tour  of  twelve  weeks,  their  main  objective  being 
Chow  Yuen,  where  Miao,  a  zealous  young  convert, 
was  opening  a  chapel.  The  story  as  to  him  can  most 
appropriately  be  told  in  another  chapter. 

On  November  10  of  the  same  year  Dr.  Mateer  and 

Julia  began  a  journey  which  lasted  twenty-four  days, 

during  which  they  traveled  about  two  hundred  and 

fifty  miles,  some  of  the  road  being  very  hilly  and  rough, 

and  the  weather  cold.     Their  course  was  directed  to 

certain   localities    where    there    were    converts,    and 

where  a  beginning  had  been  made  by  these  native 

Christians  to  give  the  gospel  to  their  neighbors.     One 

,    of  these  places  was  Laichow  fu,  at  which  two  of  these 

'    had  been  spreading  the  light  around  them,  one  of  them 

having  given  a  commodious  chapel,  with  a  guest  room 

attached,  in  which  the  Mateers  lodged.     During  a 

t   stay  of  three  days  they  preached  to  large  numbers; 

/    and  especially  on  the  last  day  all  opposition  was  swept 

j    away,  and  men  and  women  came  in  crowds.     In  a 

village  in  the   district  of   Ping   Tu  they  conducted 

]    service  in  a  little  chapel  on  the  Sabbath.     In  a  letter 

^    to  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board  he  said: 

The  chapel  was  so  crowded  that  we  were  barely 
able  to  have  any  regular  service  for  the  benefit  of  the 


124        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

native  Christians.  We  had  finally  to  postpone  our 
principal  service  till  after  night.  I  baptized  five, 
the  four  who  had  previously  been  accepted,  and  one 
other  who,  though  not  very  well  instructed,  was  so 
earnest  in  his  profession  of  faith  that  we  did  not  feel 
that  it  would  be  right  to  refuse  him.  After  this  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered.  The  circumstances 
made  it  one  of  the  most  interesting  services  of  the 
kind  I  have  ever  been  privileged  to  conduct.  At  the 
farthest  point  at  which  the  gospel  has  yet  got  a  foot- 
hold, in  a  house  set  apart  by  a  native  Christian  for 
the  worship  of  the  true  God,  the  majority  of  the  com- 
pany having  never  before  participated  in  such  a  ser- 
vice, the  circumstances  were  altogether  such  as  to 
make  the  occasion  one  long  to  be  remembered. 

On  February  13,  1873,  he  and  Crossett  began  a  tour 
that  lasted  about  three  months  and  carried  them  far 
into  the  interior  of  Shantung.  They  traveled  in  all 
about  a  thousand  miles,  and  preached  and  sold  books 
in  over  a  hundred  cities  and  towns.  Once  a  man 
threatened  Mateer  with  a  manure  fork,  and  once  he 
was  struck  by  a  stone  thrown  in  a  crowd  by  some 
unknown  miscreant.  The  usual  epithet  for  foreigners 
saluted  them;  but,  on  the  whole,  they  escaped 
any  serious  molestation.  On  this  trip  they  visited 
Tai  An,  the  great  temple,  and  the  sacred  mountain, 
and  ascended  the  steps  to  its  summit.  For  a  week 
they  remained  preaching  in  the  temple  to  the  crowds. 
They  also  went  to  the  tomb  of  Confucius,  and  to  the 
magnificent  temple  dedicated  to  the  sage,  in  that 
neighborhood.     At  that  date  not  many  foreigners  had 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       125 

seen  these  Chinese  shrines;  but  now  they  have  been 
so  often  described  that  it  would  scarcely  be  justifiable 
to  cite  the  full  and  interesting  record  made  by  Mateer 
in  his  Journal  as  to  what  he  saw  and  did  at  these 
places.  Thence  they  proceeded  as  far  as  the  capital, 
Tsinan  fu,  where  Mateer  remained  for  eighteen  days, 
while  Crossett  went  on  a  journey  still  a  couple  of 
hundred  miles  farther  to  the  north  and  west,  in  com- 
pany with  an  agent  of  the  Scottish  Bible  Society, 
which  had  been  canvassing  the  province  for  six  or 
eight  years.  At  the  close  of  this  tour  they  regarded 
the  work  of  book-selling  for  most  of  Shantung  as  so 
far  completed  as  henceforth  to  deserve  a  more  sub- 
ordinate place.  During  part  of  his  stay  at  the  capital 
Mateer  preached  and  sold  books,  and  part  of  the  time 
he  remained  in  his  hired  lodgings  to  receive  visitors, 
of  whom  he  had  not  a  few.  To  him  one  of  the 
interesting  sights  was  the  Yellow  River.  On  their 
return  journey  they  took  in  Tsingchow  fu,  and  also 
Ping  Tu,  where  the  Christians  then  were  terrified  by 
persecution. 

After  this  he  made  only  one  more  exclusively 
evangelistic  itineration.  The  care  of  the  infant 
churches  and  other  duties  called  him  to  continue  to 
go  longer  and  shorter  distances  from  home;  and  in 
connection  with  this  he  did  a  great  deal  of  preaching 
here  and  there  by  the  way.  For  instance,  in  1881  he 
attended  a  meeting  of  the  Mission  at  Tsinan  fu,  and 
incidentally  he  preached  in  a  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  villages.     It  was  travel  for  the  specific  purpose 


126        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

of  carrying  the  gospel  into  wholly  unevangelized 
regions  that  he  ceased  to  perform.  In  a  friendly 
letter  written  to  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Gilchrist,  as  early  as 
June  28,  1875,  he  said: 

The  first  years  I  was  in  China  I  traveled  a  good 
deal,  and  preached  and  sold  books  in  the  streets. 
I  have  not  done  so  much  of  it  the  last  two  or  three 
years,  having  been  more  closely  engaged  in  my  school. 
The  younger  men  in  the  mission  have  been  doing  it 
chiefly.  I  am  preparing  a  number  of  books  for  the 
press,  and  this  has  taken  a  good  deal  of  time,  and  will 
take  time  in  the  future. 

That  final  evangelistic  itineration  was  made  in 
1878,  and  lasted  from  the  middle  of  October  to  the 
middle  of  November.  It  was  out  toward  the  general 
region  of  Ping  Tu  and  Laichow  fu.  The  party 
consisted  of  Mateer  and  MillSj  Mrs.  Mateer  and 
Mrs.  Shaw,  and  a  couple  of  Chinese  assistants.  Mrs. 
Mateer  and  Mrs.  Shaw  visited  the  native  Christians 
while  the  men  went  to  districts  where  there  were  no 
churches.     In  a  letter  to  the  Board  Mateer  said: 

We  each  hired  a  donkey  to  carry  our  bedding  and 
books,  while  we  walked  from  village  to  village,  and 
preached  in  the  streets.  I  preached  in  this  way  in 
one  hundred  and  ninety  villages,  and  Mr.  Mills  in 
about  as  many.  We  went  aside  from  the  great  roads 
into  villages  never  before  visited  by  any  foreign 
missionary.  We  had  audiences  of  from  eight  or  ten, 
up  to  two  or  three  hundred.  In  many  cases  we  had 
a  goodly  proportion  of  women  as  hearers.  Our  recep- 
tion was  very  various,  for  which  in  most  cases  we  have 
no  means  of  accounting.     In  some  cases  many  came 


WORK  OF  AN  EVANGELIST       127 

out  to  see  and  hear  us.  In  other  cases  no  one  seemed 
inclined  to  pay  any  attention  to  us,  and  a  considerable 
time  would  elapse  before  we  would  succeed  in  drawing 
a  company  to  preach  to.  In  one  village  I  failed  en- 
tirely to  get  anyone  to  listen.  A  goodly  number  saw 
us,  but  they  passed  by  without  stopping.  One  boy 
ventured  to  ask  where  we  came  from,  when  instantly 
a  man  near  by  at  work  reproved  him  for  speaking  to 
us.  My  assistant  and  I  sat  and  waited  about  half 
an  hour,  and  then  went  on  to  the  next  village.  We 
carried  a  few  books  in  our  hands  as  a  sort  of  advertise- 
ment of  our  business,  and  to  give  to  such  as  would 
accept  them.  Sometimes  the  books  were  readily  ac- 
cepted, and  we  could  have  given  away  any  number ; 
but  frequently  not  a  soul  would  accept  a  book.  No 
doubt  some  w^ould  have  liked  very  well  to  have  a  book, 
but  they  were  ashamed  to  accept  it  from  the  hated 
foreigner  in  the  presence  of  so  many  of  their  neighbors 
and  acquaintances.  Only  in  two  or  three  cases  was 
any  open  hostility  shown  us,  and  in  these  it  was 
confined  to  two  or  three  individuals  who  failed  to 
carry  the  crowd  with  them,  so  that  in  spite  of  their 
attempts  to  scatter  our  audience  we  still  had  plenty 
of  hearers. 

Then  as  to  the  value  of  this  kind  of  missionary 
effort  he  added  an  estimate  from  which  he  never 
deviated,  and  which  in  substance  he  continued  to 
repeat : 

This  method  of  work  is  very  excellent,  and  at  the 
same  time  very  laborious.  It  reaches  obscure  places, 
and  a  class  of  people — those  who  stay  at  home — not 
otherwise  reached.  To  be  successful  it  must  be 
pursued  at  a  time  of  year  when  the  people  are  some- 
what at  leisure. 


VIII 

THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL 

"The  object  of  mission  schools  I  take  to  be  the  education  of 
native  pupils,  mentally,  morally,  and  rehgiously,  not  only  that 
they  may  be  converted,  but  that,  being  converted,  they  may 
become  effective  agents  in  the  hand  of  God  for  defending  the 
cause  of  truth.  Schools  also  which  give  a  knowledge  of  western 
science  and  civilization  cannot  fail  to  do  great  good  both 
physically  and  socially." — the  relation  of  Protestant  mis- 
sions TO  education;  a  paper  read  before  the  Shanghai  Mis- 
sionary Conference  of  i^Xl-  '  "       " 

THE  Tengchow  School  in  1884  was  authorized 
by  the  Board  of  Missions  to  call  itself  a  college. 
For  several  years  previous  to  that  date  it 
deserved  the  name  because  of  the  work  which  it  was 
doing  in  its  advanced  department.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  did  not  cease  at  that  time  to  maintain  instruc- 
tion of  an  elementary  and  intermediate  grade.  In  the 
present  chapter  we  v>^ill  for  convenience  confine  our 
attention  mainly  to  the  twenty  years  lying  between 
the  opening  of  the  school  and  the  formal  assumption 
of  the  name  of  a  college.  Beyond  the  end  of  that 
period  Hes  the  story  of  the  institution  under  the  title 
of  the  Shantung  College,  for  another  twenty  years  at 
Tengchow;  and  since  then,  of  the  Shantung  Union 
College,  at  Wei  Hsien. 

Under  date  of  April  2,  1864, — less  than  three  months 
after  the  Mateers  arrived  at  Tengchow, — Dr.  Mateer 

128 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         129 

made  this  entry  in  his  Journal,  ''We  have  it  in  pros- 
pect to  establish  a  school."     Their  plan  at  that  time 
was  to  leave  the  Mills  family  in  possession  of  the  old 
Kwan  Yin  temple,  and  to  find  for  themselves  another 
house  where  they  could  reside  and  carry  on  this  new 
enterprise.     But  when,  during  the  latter  part  of  that 
summer,  they  were  left  in  sole  possession  of  the  temple, 
they  proceeded  at  once  so  to  fit  up  some  of  the  smaller 
buildings  in   the  court  as  to   make   it   possible   to 
accommodate   the  little  school.     In   September  the 
first  term  opened,  with  six  Httle  heathen  boys,  not  one 
of  whom  had  ever  been  to  school  before;    and  with 
quarters  consisting  of  two  sleeping  rooms,  a  kitchen, 
and  a  small  room  for  teaching.     Chang,  who  was 
Mateer's  instructor  in  Chinese,  was  set  to  work  also 
to  teach  these  boys;   and  a  native  woman  was  put  in  , 
charge  of  the  cooking  department.     To  Juha  he  always 
attributed  the  initiation  of  this  entire  work.     For  the 
first  ten  years  the  school  was  almost  entirely  hers,  he 
being  otherwise  at  work.     In  a  conversation  with  Mrs. 
Fitch,  of  Shanghai,  many  years  later  he  said: 

When  Juha  began  the  boarding  school  for  boys  in 
Tengchow  I  thought  it  a  comparatively  small  work; 
but  as  it  enlarged,  and  also  deepened,  in  its  influence, 
I  saw  it  was  too  much  for  her  strength  alone.  I  knew 
that  we  must  put  our  own  characters  into  those  boys, 
and  I  could  do  nothing  less  than  give  myself  to  the 
work  she  had  so  begun. 

Almost  half  a  century  ago,  when  the  school  was 
started,  and  for  some  time  afterward,  mission  boards 

9 


130        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

\  and  missionaries  had  not  settled  down  into  their 
present  attitude  toward  education,  lower  or  higher, 
as  an  agency  in  the  evangehzation  of  the  non-Chris- 
tian world.  There  were  some  very  earnest  and  in- 
\j  telKgent  workers  who  insisted  that  for  an  ordained 
minister  to  engage  in  teaching  a  school  was  for  him  to 
be  untrue  to  the  calHng  for  which  he  had  been  set 
apart.  To  sustain  their  position  they  appealed  to 
apostoHc  example,  and  pointed  to  the  small  results  as 
to  conversions  in  the  instances  in  which  this  method 
had  been  tried.  Among  the  advocates  of  schools  also 
there  was  a  lack  of  agreement  as  to  the  immediate 
object  to  be  sought  by  the  use  of  this  agency.  Ought 
it  to  be  so  much  the  conversion  of  the  pupils,  and 
through  this  the  raising  up  of  a  native  ministry,  that 
all  other  results  should  be  regarded  as  of  small  im- 
portance? Or,  ought  the  school  to  be  looked  upon  as 
an  efhcient  means  of  preparing  the  soil  for  the  good 
seed  of  Christian  truth  to  be  sown  later  by  preaching 
the  gospel?  In  the  paper  from  which  the  quotation 
at  the  head  of  this  chapter  is  taken  Mateer  ably  and 
fully  discussed  all  of  these  questions,  bringing  out 
fairly  both  sides  of  them,  and  then  presented  his  own 
convictions  as  he  held  them  from  the  beginning  of 
his  missionary  career,  and  as  he  unswervingly  ad- 
hered to  them  all  the  rest  of  his  Hfe.  He  disclaimed 
any  intention  to  exalt  education  as  a  missionary  agency 
above  other  instrumentalities,  and  especially  not 
above  preaching  the  gospel;  and  claimed  for  it  only 
its  legitimate  place.     As  to  this  he  laid  down  and 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         131 

elaborated  certain  great  principles  involved  in  the 
nature  of  the  case  and  verified  by  experience.  Educa- 
tion, he  said,  is  important  in  order  to  provide  an 
effective  and  reliable  ministry;  to  furnish  teachers 
for  Christian  schools,  and  through  them  to  introduce 
into  China  the  superior  education  of  the  West;  to 
prepare  men  to  take  the  lead  in  introducing  into 
China  the  science  and  arts  of  western  civilization,  as 
the  best  means  of  gaining  access  to  the  higher  classes 
in  China,  of  giving  to  the  native  church  self-reKance, 
and  of  fortifying  her  against  the  encroachments  of 
superstition  from  within  and  the  attacks  of  educated 
skepticism  from  without.  On  the  last  of  these  propo- 
sitions he  enlarged  with  wise  foresight: 

So  long  as  all  the  Christian  hterature  of  China  is 
the  work  of  foreigners,  so  long  will  the  Chinese  church 
be  weak  and  dependent.  She  needs  as  rapidly  as 
possible  a  class  of  iriinisters  with  well-trained  and  well- 
furnished  minds,  who  will  be  able  to  write  books, 
defending  and  enforcing  the  doctrines  of  Christianity' 
and  applying  them  to  the  circumstances  of  the  church 
in  Cliina.  .  .  .  Again,  as  native  Christians  in- 
crease in  numbers,  and  spread  into  the  interior,  they 
will  pass  more  and  more  from  under  the  direct  teaching 
and  control  of  foreigners.  Then  will  arise  danger 
from  the  encroachment  of  heathen  superstition,  and 
from  the  baneful  influence  of  the  Chinese  classics. 
Superstitions  of  all  kinds  find  a  congenial  soil  in  the 
human  heart,  and  they  often  change  their  forms  with- 
out changing  their  nature.  The  multiform  supersti- 
tions of  China  will  not  die  easily;  and  unless  they  are 
constantly   resisted   and   ferreted   out   and   exposed, 


132        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

they   will   commingle   with    Christianity  and   defile 

it.     .     .     .     The  day  is  not  distant  when  the  skep- 

^         ticism  of  the  West  will  find  its  way  into  China.     The 

!      day  when  it  shall  be  rampant  is  not  so  distant  as 

J  ■   might  be  supposed.     Error  is  generally  as  fleet-footed 

as  truth.     To  repel  these  attacks,  and  vindicate  the 

'    truth  in  the  face  of  heathen  unbelief,  will  require  a 

high  order  of  education.     An  uneducated  Christianity 

S«  {      may  hold  its  own  against  an  uneducated  heathenism, 

but  it  cannot  against  an  educated  heathenism.     We 

want,  in  a  word,  to  do  more  than  introduce  naked 

Christianity  into  China,  we  want  to  introduce  it  in 

such  a  form,  and  with  such  weapons  and  supports, 

as  will  enable  it  to  go  forward  alone,  maintain  its 

own  purity,  and  defend  itself  from  all  foes. 

In  view  of  these  ideals  with  regard  to  the  object  of 
such  schools,  he  concluded  his  paper  by  urging  that 
they  should  be  of  an  advanced  grade  rather  than 
primary,  though  not  excluding  the  primary;  that  the 
natural  sciences  should  be  made  prominent  in  the 
instruction;  and  that  the  pupils  should  be  of  Chris- 
tian parentage,  rather  than  of  heathen.  His  prophecy 
as  to  skeptical  books  from  the  West  is  already  in 
process  of  fulfillment. 

It  needs  to  be  recognized  that  the  substance  of  all 
this  was  in  his  mind  when  he  opened  that  little  ele- 
mentary school.  But  he  had  to  begin  with  something 
that  fell  almost  pitifully  short  of  his  ideal.  The 
first  thing  that  was  necessary  was  to  secure  a  few 
pupils  under  conditions  that  made  it  worth  while, 
in  view  of  his  object,  to  teach  them.     One  of  these 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         133 

conditions  was  that  the  parents  of  the  boys  should 
l(  formally  bind  themselves  to  leave  them  in  the  school 
six  or  seven  years,  so  that  they  might  finish  the  studies 
prescribed.  Otherwise  they  would  stay  only  as  long 
as  suited  them  or  their  parents,  and  they  would  all 
the  while  be  exposed  to  heathen  influences  that  likety 
would  nulKfy  the  Christian  instruction  received.  On 
the  other  hand,  this  arrangement  made  it  necessary  for 
the  school  to  furnish  gratuitously  not  only  the  build- 
ings and  the  teachers,  but  the  food  and  lodging  and 
clothes  of  the  pupils.  Gradually  this  was  so  far 
modified  that  the  parents  provided  their  clothes  and 
bedding  and  books.  To  meet  the  running  expenses 
of  the  school  the  average  cost  of  each  pupil  was 
ascertained,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  secure  from 
Sabbath  schools  in  the  United  States  a  contribution 
of  that  amount.  The  plan  of  designating  a  particular 
boy  for  support  by  a  particular  Sabbath  school  was 
suggested  from  home  for  consideration,  but  was 
discouraged,  on  the  ground  that  it  might  often  prove 
disappointing,  through  the  uncertainties  as  to  the 
conduct  of  the  boy;  and  it  was  rarely,  if  at  all,  prac- 
I  ticed.  In  order  to  secure  these  contributions  each 
\  year  a  letter  had  to  be  carefully  prepared,  and  then 
duplicated,  at  first  by  hand,  and  later  by  lithographing 
process,  and  sent  to  the  Sabbath  schools  that  shared 
in  giving  for  this  purpose.  These  letters  were  of  a 
very  high  order,  taking  for  the  theme  of  each  some 
important  phase  of  Chinese  life  and  manners  or  of 
mission  work.     They  might  to  advantage  have  been 


{ 


\ 


134        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

gathered  into  a  volume;  and  if  this  had  been  done,  it 
would  be  entitled  to  rank  with  books  of  the  very  best 
kind  on  the  same  general  subject.  The  preparation 
of  these  letters  and  their  multiplication  and  distribu- 
tion cost  very  considerable  time  and  labor;  to  lighten 
this  for  her  husband,  Julia  rendered  valuable  assis- 
tance, even  to  the  extent  eventually  of  taking  upon 
herself  the  entire  work,  except  the  printing. 

The  average  expense  of  a  boy  was  at  first  estimated 
at  forty  dollars,  but  with  the  rise  of  prices  as  the 
years  went  by,  this  estimate  had  to  be  raised.     The 
scheme  worked  well  enough  to  enable  the  school  not 
only  to  go  on,  but  gradually  to  increase  its  numbers 
as  other  events  opened  the  way.    Nor  was  there  any 
'    difficulty  in  obtaining  all  the  pupils  that  could  be 
i    accommodated.     At    the    beginning    all    were    from 
I    families  who  were  too  poor  to  educate  their  boys  in 
I    native  schools,  and  to  whom  the  fact  that  in  addition 
to  the  good  education  received,  their  boy  was  also 
clothed  and  fed,  proved  inducement  sufficient  to  over- 
come the  opprobrium  of  allowing  him  to  fall  under 
the  influence  of  the  hated  foreigner.     It  really  meant 
/  no  little  in  those  early  days,  and,  in  fact,  in  all  ante- 
Boxer  times,  for  parents,  even  though  Christians,  to 
send  their  boys  to  the  Tengchow  school.     An  honored 
native  pastor  who  was  at  one  time  a  pupil  there  wrote : 

When  my  parents  first  sent  me  to  school,  there  was 
a  great  protest  from  all  the  village.  They  tried  to 
scare  my  mother  by  saying  that  the  foreigners  were 
vampires  who  could  extract  the  blood  of  children  by 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         135 

magic  arts.  Nevertheless  I  was  sent;  though  I  must 
own  that  I  was  a  little  scared  myself.  When  I  came 
home  at  Chinese  New  Year  vacation,  I  was  most  care- 
fully examined  by  all  these  prophets  of  evil ;  and  when 
they  found  that  not  only  my  pulse  was  still  a-going, 
but  that  I  was  even  rosier  and  in  better  flesh  than 
before,  they  said  that  the  three  months  I  had  been 
there  were  not  enough  to  show  the  baneful  results; 
only  wait!  After  the  Germans  took  Kiaochow  and 
began  the  railroad,  the  rumors  in  that  region  became 
worse.  Under  each  sleeper  a  Chinese  child  must  be 
buried.  To  furnish  axle  grease  for  the  ''fire-cart" 
human  fat  must  be  tried  out — anyone  could  see  the 
great  boilers  they  had  for  the  purpose;  and  under 
those  great  heaps  of  fresh-turned  earth  they  buried 
the  bones. 

At  the  time  of  the  Tientsin  massacre  it  was  currently  I 
reported  that  Mateer  was  fattening  boys  for  the  purpose 
of  killing  them,  and  then  taking  their  eyes  and  hearts 
to  make  medicine  with  which  to  bewitch  the  people. 

Nevertheless  the  numbers  were  always  full,  except 
at  brief  intervals,  when  reduced  by  popular  disturb- 
ances, epidemics  or  such  causes.  The  school  in  its 
second  year  had  twelve  pupils,  just  double  the  number 
with  which  it  began  its  work.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  in  1867  the  Mateers  built  and  occupied  their 
new  home.  This  vacated  the  old  Kwan  Yin  temple 
premises.  In  the  application  to  the  Board  to  erect 
the  new  home  Mateer  said: 

We  do  not  propose  to  vacate  the  old  premises,  but 
to  appropriate  them  to  the  school,  for  which  they 
would  be  admirably  adapted.     We  look  forward  with 


136        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

confidence  to  an  increase  of  the  school.  Our  present 
number  of  scholars,  however,  occupy  all  the  room  we 
can  possibly  spare;  if  we  increase  we  must  build  not 
only  sleeping  rooms,  but  a  large  schoolroom.  This 
would  not,  it  is  true,  cost  as  much  money  as  a  foreign 
house,  but  it  would  not  come  as  far  below  as  perhaps 
you  might  suppose.  The  main  building  would  make 
one  .or  two  most  admirable  schoolrooms,  which  will 
accommodate  any  school  we  will  likely  ever  have. 
One  of  the  side  buildings  would  make  a  very  conve- 
nient dining  room  and  kitchen,  and  the  other,  with  addi- 
tional buildings  made  vacant,  would  with  a  very  little 
refitting  furnish  at  least  ten  new  rooms  besides  what 
we  now  have.  It  will  probably  be  many  years  before 
we  will  have  more  than  these. 

With  all  his  largeness  of  vision  he  did  not  yet  foresee 
the  coming  Tengchow  college;  though  he  was  planning 
for  greater  things  for  the  mission  as  well  as  for  the 
health  and  comfort  of  himself  and  wife. 

Because  the  language  employed  was  solely  Chinese, 
at  the  beginning  neither  Mateer  nor  his  wife  could 
take  part  in  the  instruction;  all  had  to  be  done  by 
the  Chinese  assistant,  who  was  a  professing  Christian. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  until  both  the  Mateers  were 
able  to  help;  though  at  no  time  did  he  give  himself 
exclusively  to  teaching.  The  boys  were  taught  to 
read  and  write  in  their  own  language,  so  that  for  them- 
selves they  might  be  able  to  study  the  Bible  and  other 
books  which  they  were  expected  to  use.  ,  Arithmetic 
was  a  part  of  this  course  in  the  elementary  department 
with  which  the  school  began,  and  it  was  one  of  the 
very  first  of  the  branches  of  which  Mateer  took 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         137 

charge.  Mrs.  Mateer  had  a  class  in  geography,  and 
widened  their  vision  of  the  world  by  informing  them 
of  other  lands  besides  China.  Three  times  a  week  she 
undertook  the  peculiarly  difficult  task  of  instructing 
them  to  sing.  Of  course,  there  was  morning  worship. 
This  was  held  in  the  schoolroom.  The  service  con- 
sisted of  a  hymn,  of  a  chapter  in  the  New  Testament 
read  verse  about,  and  a  prayer.  There  was  also 
evening  worship.  On  Sabbath  morning  all  attended 
the  little  native  chapel.  In  the  afternoon  a  sort  of 
Sunday  school  was  held,  and  in  it  Mateer  taught  the 
bigger  boys,  and  Mrs.  Mateer  the  smaller,  in  the 
Scriptures.  At  worship  on  Sabbath  evening  he  ques- 
tioned them  all  in  turn  about  the  sermon  in  the 
morning.  Such  was  the  very  humble  way  in  which 
the  school  was  nurtured  in  its  infancy,  and  started  on 
the  road  to  become  what  has  been  pronounced  to  be 
the  very  best  of  all  the  colleges  in  China. 

Three  months  after  the  first  opening  the  six  pupils 
admitted  were  reduced  to  three,  because  the  fathers 
of  the  other  boys  were  unwilling  to  sign  the  obligation 
to  leave  them  in  the  school  the  required  number  of 
years.  A  decade  after  the  school  was  begun  Mateer 
said  in  a  Sunday-school  letter: 

Our  boys  are  from  nine  or  ten  to  eighteen  or  twenty 
years,  and  a  number  of  them  have  been  in  school  seven 
or  eight  years.  If  they  have  never  been  to  school,  we 
require  them  to  come  for  twelve  years,  but  take  them 
for  a  less  time  if  they  have  already  been  several  years 
in  a  native  school.     We  try  to  get  those  who  have 


138        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

already  been  to  school,  as  it  is  a  saving  both  of  labor 
and  of  money. 

At  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the  school 
was  begun  he  said: 

During  these  years  we  took  many  boys  into  the 
school  who  came  to  nothing.  Some  were  too  stupid, 
and  we  had  to  send  them  away  after  they  had  learned 
to  read  and  knew  something  of  the  Bible.  Others 
were  bad  boys,  and  we  had  to  dismiss  them;  and  some 
got  tired  and  ran  away,  or  were  taken  away  by  their 
parents  because  they  wanted  them  at  home  to  work. 
We  sifted  out  some  good  ones,  who  were  bright  and 
promised  to  make  good  men. 

The  pupils  they  retained  at  the  end  of  the  first 
ten  years  were  culled  out  of  more  than  twice  their 
number.     Of  the  routine  of  the  school  he  wrote: 

!  The  boys  go  to  school  at  six  o'clock  in  the  mornmg, 
and  study  till  eight.  Then  all  meet  in  the  large 
schoolroom  for  prayers.  After  this  there  is  a  recess 
of  an  hour  for  breakfast.  At  hah-past  nine  they  go 
to  school  again,  and  remain  till  half-past  twelve.  In 
the  afternoon  they  have  another  session  of  four  hours, 
j  During  the  shortest  days  of  winter  they  have  an 
\  evening  session  instead  of  a  morning  session.  These 
^  are  the  ordinary  hours  of  study  in  the  native  schools. 
At  first  we  thought  so  many  hours  in  school  too  much 
for  either  health  or  profit,  but  after  trying  our  plan 
for  several  years,  we  were  convinced  that  for  Chinese 
children  and  Chinese  methods  of  study  the  native 
plan  is  best.  The  great  business  in  Chinese  schools 
is  committing  the  classics,  which  they  do  by  chanting 
them  over  rhythmically  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         139 

each  one  singing  a  tune  of  his  own,  and  apparently 
trying  to  ''hollow"  louder  than  the  others.     The  din 
they  make  would  be  distracting  to  one  of  us,  but  the 
Chinese  teacher  seems  to  enjoy  it.     The  exercise  it 
gives  the  lungs  compensates,  perhaps,  for  the  want 
of  more  play  hours.     When  Mrs.  Mateer  or  I  go  into 
the  school  to  hear  classes,  we,  of  course,  make  them 
stop  their  uproarious  studying,  and  study  to  them- 
selves.   About  half  the  day  our  boys  devote  to  Chris- 
tian and  to  scientific  books.     They  learn  a  catechism 
of  Christian  doctrine,  ''The  Peep  of  Day,"  Old  Testa- 
ment history,   "Pilgrim's  Progress,"   "Evidences  of 
Christianity,"  and  memorize  portions  of  Scripture. 
They  study  also  geography,  ancient  history,  arithme- 
tic, algebra,  geometry,  trigonometry,  natural  philos- 
ophy, and  chemistry.     They  are  trained  in  singing, 
writing  essays,    and  debating.      The    native    books 
which  they  study  are  composed  mostly  of  the  maxims 
and  wise  sa3dngs  of  Confucius  and  Mencius,  together 
with  a  large  number  of  poems.     These  books  teach 
people  to  be  hon-est  and  upright.     They  teach  children 
to  obey  their  parents  and  elder  brothers.     They  also 
contain  a  great  deal  about  the  duties  of  the  people  to 
their  rulers,  and  of  the  rulers  to  the  people.     They 
praise  all  good  and  virtuous  men,  and  exhort  all  to 
lead  virtuous  lives;   but  they  offer  no  motives  higher 
than  the  praise  of  men.     They  teach  nothing  about 
God  or  future  Hfe.     They  are  all  written  in  what  is 
called  the  classical  style,  which  is  to  a  Chinese  boy 
what  Latin  is  to  an  American  boy.     These  books 
the  boys   commit   to   memory,   and   recite  to   their 
teacher,  but  without  understanding  them.     When  a 
book  has  been  memorized  and  a  boy  can  repeat  it 
from  beginning  to  end,  the  teacher  commences  to 
explain  it  to  him.    He  has  neither  grammar  nor 


140        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

dictionary  to  help  him,  but  must  learn  all  from  the 
teacher's  Hps.  When  a  young  man  can  repeat  all 
these  books  and  give  the  explanation,  and  can  write 
an  essay  in  the  same  style,  the  Chinese  consider  him 
a  scholar,  and  when  he  can  do  this,  and  in  addition 
has  mastered  all  the  other  branches  of  study  mentioned 
above,  we  consider  his  education  finished,  and  he  grad- 
uates from  our  school.  A  boy  must  have  a  good  mind, 
and  be  very  dihgent  if  he  gets  through  in  twelve  years. 

The  clothes  of  the  boys,  of  course,  were  entirely 
Chinese  as  to  material  and  style.  Their  food  was  of 
like  character.  The  dormitories  were  low  rooms  with 
earthen  floors  and  the  bedsteads  were  of  dry  mud. 
The  letter  continues: 

Teaching  the  boys  their  regular  lessons  is  but  a 
small  part  of  the  work  to  be  done  in  such  a  school  as 
ours.  Ways  and  means  have  to  be  provided  to  have 
their  food  bought  and  properly  cooked.  The  cook 
must  be  prevented  from  steahng  it,  and  the  boys 
from  wasting  it.  Their  clothes  have  to  be  made  in 
proper  season,  and  mended  and  washed,  and  the  boys 
watched  that  they  do  not  destroy  them.  Then  each 
boy's  grievances  have  to  be  heard  and  his  quarrels 
examined  into  and  settled.  Bad  boys  have  to  be 
exhorted  or  reproved,  and  perhaps  punished  and  every 
possible  means  used,  and  that  constantly,  to  make  the 
boys  obedient  and  truthful  and  honest.  We  also 
strive  to  train  them  to  habits  of  industry,  persever- 
ance, and  self-reliance,  without  which  their  education 
will  do  them  no  good.  Thus  you  see  that  to  train  up 
these  boys  so  that  they  shall  become  good  and  useful 
men  requires  a  great  deal  of  labor,  patience,  and 
faith,  and  prayer. 


*e««fc'' 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         141 

These  are  homely  details,  but  we  cannot  overlook 
them,  and  understand  the  Hfe  of  the  Mateers  in  its 
connection  with  this  work. 

Discipline  in  any  school  composed  of  so  many  boys 
and  of  such  varied  age  could  not  be  an  easy  task; 
in  this  Chinese  school  it  was  peculiarly  perplexing. 
There  were  some  unusual  incidents.  Falsehood, 
steahng,  quarreling,  gluttony,  and  even  sodomy  were 
offenses  that  had  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the 
circumstances  attending  each  case.  One  instance  of 
disciphne  was  so  distinctively  Chinese  that  the  descrip- 
tion of  it  by  Mateer  in  his  Journal  deserves  a  place 
here.    Under  date  of  April  9,  1869,  he  wrote: 

One  very  distressing  thing  has  happened  within  a 
month.  Leon  Chin  Chi  was  being  persecuted  by  his 
father  in  relation  to  the  matter  of  his  marriage  engage- 
ment with  Shang  Yuin,  when  in  a  fit  of  desperation  he 
went  and  bought  opium,  and  took  it  to  kill  himself. 
Some  of  the  boys  suspected  him,  and  went  to  see. 
They  found  him  lying  on  his  bed  evidently  in  great 
distress  of  mind,  and  refusing  to  answer  any  questions 
save  to  say  that  his  affairs  were  all  over  with.  I 
inferred  from  this,  as  also  from  his  saying  to  one  of 
the  boys  that  he  would  never  see  him  again,  that  he 
had  taken  poison — most  Hkely  opium.  I  went  and 
got  a  strong  emetic,  and  mixed  it  up,  but  he  refused 
to  take  it.  I  then  got  a  stick  and  used  it  to  such  good 
purpose  that  in  a  very  short  time  he  was  glad  to  take 
the  medicine.  It  had  the  desired  effect,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  he  vomited  up  the  opium.  He  seemed 
to  lay  the  beating  to  heart  very  much.  It  was  e\d- 
dently  a  new  idea  to  him  to  be  put  through  in  such  a 


\ 


142        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

style.  After  a  day  or  two,  when  he  had  gone  to  school 
again,  I  gave  him  a  formal  and  severe  whipping  in 
the  presence  of  the  school.  I  thought  very  seriously 
over  the  matter  of  whipping  him,  and  concluded  that 
it  was  my  duty  to  do  it.  I  beheve  now  that  it  did  the 
boy  good.  He  was  called  before  the  session  last  week, 
when  he  manifested  a  good  deal  of  sorrow  and  peni- 
tence. He  was  pubKcly  reproved  and  admonished 
on  Sabbath  morning.  I  am  sorry  that  he  had  such  a 
weakness;  it  greatly  decreases  my  rehance  on  him, 
and  my  belief  in  his  genuine  Christian  character. 
It  must  be  allowed  that  there  is  some  little  excuse,  in 
the  way  in  which  the  Chinese  all  regard  suicide. 
He  had  not  got  those  ideas  all  educated  out  of  him. 

While  Mateer  differed  in  opinion  from  those 
missionaries  who  favored  schools  simply  as  effective 
agents  for  the  conversion  of  the  pupils,  he  regarded 
this  as  one  of  the  leading  results  to  be  sought  and 
expected.  It  was  almost  two  years  after  the  opening 
of  his  school  when  he  had  the  great  joy  of  baptizing 
one  of  the  pupils.  In  describing  the  event  to  a 
secretary  of  the  Board,  he  said: 

He  is  the  oldest  boy  in  the  school,  and  is  in  fact  a 
man  in  years,  though  his  education  is  not  yet  nearly 
finished.  He  has  been  for  two  or  three  months  feeling 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  profess  Christ,  but,  as  he  is 
naturally  modest  and  retiring,  he  did  not  make 
his  wish  known.  His  mother,  to  whom  he  was  un- 
commonly attached,  died  recently,  and  this  brought 
him  to  a  full  decision.  His  examination  before  the 
session  was  most  satisfactory,  showing  that  he  has 
improved  well  his  opportunities  of  learning  the  truth. 
I  have  great  hopes  of  his  future  usefulness.     He  has 


THE   TENGCHOW   SCHOOL         143 

a  good  mind,  and  is  a  most  diligent  student,  and  if  he 
is  spared,  and  is  taught  of  God's  Spirit  he  may  be 
a  great  treasure  to  us  in  preaching  to  the  heathen. 

Three  months  later  he  wrote  again  of  this  young 
man  as  exemplary  in  conduct  and  as  growing  in 
grace,  and  added: 

I  am  thankful  that  I  can  now  say  that  another  has 
since  been  baptized.  He  is  the  most  advanced 
boy  in  the  school,  and  is  in  fact  very  nearly  a  man. 
His  conversion  was  not  sudden,  but  gradual,  after 
the  manner  of  almost  all  the  Chinese.  We  trust, 
however,  that  he  is  a  true  child  of  God,  and  we  have 
strong  hope  that  if  he  is  spared  he  will  make  a  very 
useful  man. 

The  next  year  three  more  of  the  largest  boys  were 
received  into  the  church.  The  session  examined  two 
others,  but  thought  it  best  for  them  to  wait  a  few 
weeks ;  and  a  number  more  were  hoping  to  be  received, 
but  were  advised  to  defer  the  matter.  Thus  the 
conversion  of  the  boys  gradually  progressed,  until  at 
the  time  when  the  school  formally  became  a  college, 
all  who  had  graduated,  and  nearly  all  the  pupils  still 
enrolled  who  were  sufhciently  mature,  were  professing 
Christians. 

Julia's  sister,  Maggie  Brown,  came  out  to  join  the 
station  at  Tengchow  early  enough  to  render  valuable 
help  in  the  initial  stages  of  the  school.  In  187 1  she 
married  Mr.  Capp.  One  of  the  necessities  which 
Mateer  recognized  was  that  of  a  girls'  school,  his 
reason  being  the  vital  importance  of  providing  suit- 


if  \ 


144        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

able  wives  for  the  young  men  whom  he  was  train- 
ing. After  her  marriage  Mrs.  Capp  took  charge  of 
such  a  school,  and  she  and  her  brother-in-law,  Mateer, 
continued  to  cooperate  in  that  important  enterprise. 
For  use  in  teaching  she  translated  a  mental  arithmetic, 
and  in  this  she  had  his  assistance.  Dr.  Corbett  wrote : 
"In  spite  of  all  discouragements  in  the  way  of  securing 
permanent  and  efficient  heads,  and  of  the  paucity  of 
results,  he  never  wavered  in  his  support  of  the  girls' 
school,  and  always  planned  for  its  welfare,  because  he 
saw  in  it  an  element  necessary  to  the  final  success  of 
the  Christian  Church."  When  Mrs.  Capp  died,  she 
left  her  little  all  for  the  erection  of  buildings  to  be  used 
by  the  school  which  he  had  encouraged,  and  to  which 
she  had  consecrated  the  maturity  of  her  powers. 

Thirteen  years  went  by  before  any  of  the  young  men 
graduated.  The  first  class  consisted  of  three  men 
who  had  completed  the  course,  which  by  that  time 
had  been  enlarged  beyond  the  curriculum  already 
described  so  as  to  include  astronomy,  the  text-book 
used  being  a  good,  stiff  one, — no  other  than  a  transla- 
tion of  Herschell's  work.  Of  that  first  class  Mateer 
said:  *'They  will  probably  teach  for  a  time  at  least. 
There  is  more  call  for  teachers  than  for  preachers  at 
present."  Under  date  of  May  2,  1877,  he  wrote  as 
to  this  first  commencement: 

We  had  a  communion  on  the  occasion.  The 
speeches  made  by  the  young  men  at  graduation  were 
excellent,  and  the  whole  effect  on  the  school  was  most 
happy.     The   boys   saw   distinctly   that   there   is   a 


THE  TENGCHOW   SCHOOL         145 

definite  goal  before   them  and   their  ambition  was 
stirred  to  reach  it. 

The  report  for  that  year  speaks  as  follows: 

All  of  the  graduates  are  men  of  excellent  talents. 
They  are  really  fine  scholars  both  in  their  own  language 
and  literature  and  in  western  science.  One  of  them 
goes  to  Hangchow  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  school 
there, — a  school  which  had  flourished  well-nigh  twenty 
years  before  the  school  in  Tengchow  was  born.  An- 
other of  them  goes  to  Chefoo,  to  teach  a  school  for 
the  Scottish  Presbyterian  mission.  The  third  goes 
to  assist  Dr.  Nevius  in  his  extensive  country  work, 
where  I  am  sure  he  will  render  the  m.ost  valuable 
service.  One  of  our  former  pupils,  who  has  been 
teaching  in  the  school  during  the  last  year,  also  goes 
to  assist  Dr.  Nevius  in  the  same  way.  This  he  does 
of  his  own  free  will,  knowing  that  he  will  have  harder 
work  and  less  pay.  We  expect  a  large  number  of  new 
pupils  next  year.  More  are  anxious  to  come  than  we 
can  take.     We  will  try  to  do  the  best  we  can. 

\  From  May,  1879,  to  January,  1881,  the  Mateers 
were  absent  from  China,  on  their  first  furlough  home. 
During  this  period  the  school  was  in  charge  of  other 
missionaries,  and  a  part  of  the  time  was  without  a 
regular  superintendent;  yet  it  continued  its  work 
fairly  well.  The  return  of  the  Mateers  was  made  the 
occasion  of  a  reception  that  must  have  been  exceed- 
ingly pleasant  to  them.  In  the  Sunday-school  letter 
for  1 88 1  he  described  it: 

From  Chefoo  to  Tengchow  we  traveled  in  a  shentza. 
The  weather  was  cold  and  the  groimd  covered  with 
10 


146        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

snow.  We  got  along  comfortably,  however,  and 
reached  Tengchow  in  safety.  The  schoolboys  had 
heard  of  our  coming,  and  were  all  on  the  lookout  to 
meet  us.  It  was  Saturday  afternoon,  and  they  had 
no  school;  so  they  all  came  out  of  the  city  to  meet  us 
on  the  road.  They  met  us  in  companies,  and  their 
beaming  faces  and  hearty  expressions  of  delight  made 
us  feel  that  we  were  indeed  welcome  back  to  Tengchow. 
Their  faces  looked  very  familiar,  though  some  of  the 
smaller  boys  had  grown  very  much  during  our  absence. 
The  next  week  the  school  closed  for  the  year. 

Late  in  1881  they  were  gladdened  by  the  arrival  of 
Robert  Mateer  and  LilHan  as  reenforcements  to  the 
mission.  Robert  has  been  one  of  the  most  efficient 
of  the  Presbyterian  missionaries  in  Shantung,  especi- 
ally in  evangelism,  and  is  still  doing  most  excellent 
work.  Lillian  was  attractive  in  person  and  proved 
herself  an  accomplished  and  successful  teacher.  In 
the  course  of  time  she  married  Mr.  Samuel  Walker. 
The  failure  of  his  health  compelled  their  return  home. 
The  year  1882  seems  to  have  been  marked  by  a 
V  distinct  advance  all  along  the  line.  The  average 
attendance  rose  to  sixty-five.  The  new  students  were 
I  \  selected  out  of  the  possible  admissions,  and  consisted 
of  such  as  gave  most  promise  as  to  work  and  character, 
some  of  them  being  already  well  advanced  in  their 
studies,  and  full-grown  men.  The  secret  of  this  was 
the  enlargement  of  the  constituency  of  the  institution, 
through  the  reputation  it  had  already  won  for  itself 
among  the  Chinese  in  general,  and  through  the  in- 
crease of  native  Christians.     Perhaps  the  most  re- 


THE   TENGCHOW   SCHOOL         147 

markable  improvement  was  in  the  prosecution  of  their 
work  by  the  students;  a  state  of  things  due  to  such 
causes  as  the  presence  of  a  larger  number  of  select 
and  advanced  pupils,  with  a  fuller  and  higher  and 
prescribed  curriculum,  with  formal  public  graduation 
at  its  completion. 

So  straitened  had  their  quarters  become  that  in  the 
following  year  another  building  was  obtained,  care 
being  taken  that  its  outfit  should,  as  heretofore,  be 
of  so  plain  a  character  as  not  to  Hft  the  men  who  went 
out  from  the  institution  above  their  own  people  in 

I  their  ideas  and  habits  of  living.  Of  course,  the 
growth  of  the  school  and  its  differentiation  according 
to  the  stages  of  the  curriculum  necessitated  a  con- 
siderable increase  in  the  force  of  teachers.  After 
graduates  began  to  go  out,  several  of  these  were 
employed.  Lillian  IMateer  for  a  while  helped  in  the 
school,  but  it  was  not  long  until  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Walker  terminated  her  connection  with  the  Pres- 
byterian work  and  her  residence  at  Tengchow.     Li 

r  the  autumn  of  1882  very  substantial  and  permanent 
help  came  by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  M.  Hayes, 
whose  large  services  will  require  further  notice  as  this 
biography  proceeds.  Were  it  not  that  the  story  of 
the  life  of  Mrs.  Julia  Mateer  is  told  fully  in  a  suitable 
volume,  much  would  be  said  here  as  to  her  remarkable 
achievements,  especially  in  the  school. 

Mateer's  w^ork  in  connection  with  the  school  lay 
only  in  part  in  the  classroom;  but  whatever  shape  it 
took,  it  was  always  of  such  a  character  as  to  impress 


148        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

his  own  individuality  in  a  remarkable  degree.  Both 
he  and  Julia  regarded  personal  influence  as  of  such 
vital  importance  that  they  were  not  quite  prepared 
to  welcome  an  increase  of  pupils  so  great  as  to  hazard 
this  element  of  training.  Dr.  Corbett  says:  "As  a 
teacher  he  was  enthusiastic  and  eminently  successful. 
He  was  always  wide-awake  and  never  dull ;  so  he  was 
able  to  keep  the  attention  of  every  student.  Any 
attempt  to  deceive  him  was  useless,  and  students 
found  no  comfort  in  going  to  a  recitation  unless  they 
had  been  faithful  in  their  preparation."  The  truth 
is  that,  helpful  as  he  gladly  made  himself  to  everybody 
who  tried  to  conduct  himself  as  he  ought,  he  was  a 
terror  to  all  triflers  and  evildoers,  old  or  young. 
Dr.  Mateer's  surname  in  Chinese  was  Ti.  The  tiger 
is  called  Lao  Hu.  It  is  significant  that  among  them- 
selves his  students  sometimes  spoke  of  him  as  Ti 
Lao  Hu.  One  thing  he  believed  with  his  whole  heart, 
and  endeavored  to  impress  in  every  legitimate  way 
on  his  pupils.  This  is  that  the  highest  offlce  to  which 
a  Christian  man  can  be  called  is  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel.  In  all  his  conduct  of  the  school  his  domnnating 
desire  was  to  raise  up  faithful,  able,  well-educated  men, 
filled  with  the  Spirit,  to  go  forth  as  ambassadors  of 
Christ  to  win  China  for  Him.  As  Dr.  Corbett  adds: 
''For  this  purpose  he  gave  wise  counsel,  intellectual 
effort,  unceasing  toil  and  daily  prayer.  He  gave  of 
his  own  money  freely  to  help  the  destitute,  and  make 
it  possible  for  youths  of  promise  to  fit  themselves  for 
usefulness.'^ 


THE  TENGCHOW  SCHOOL         149 

Such,  briefly  told,  is  the  story  of  the  Tengchow 
school.  In  the  two  decades  of  its  existence  it  had 
fully  justified  the  consecrated  wisdom  of  its  founder 
and  head.  From  the  Httle  elementary  department 
with  which  it  had  opened,  it  had  advanced  so  as  to 
become  also  a  high  school,  and  at  length  to  do  work 
of  full  collegiate  rank.  At  the  time  when  it  formally 
took  the  name  of  a  college,  there  was  an  average 
attendance  of  seventy-five,  including  three  day 
scholars.  It  had  educated  more  or  less  completely 
perhaps  two  hundred  pupils,  who  had  come  up  from 
Chinese  families,  some  of  them  Christian  and  many  of 
them  heathen.  Of  those  who  remained  long  enough 
to  be  molded  by  the  influences  of  the  institution  and 
were  mature  enough,  all  made  a  public  profession  of 
their  faith  in  Christ.  They  had  been  trained  to  live 
upright,  godly.  Christian  lives;  and  they  had  seen 
one  of  their  number  die  in  peace  through  his  faith  in 
Christ.  The  character  and  the  work  of  those  who 
had  gone  out  to  do  their  part  in  the  acti\dties  of  the 
world  were  such  as  to  command  respect  and  confidence 
and  influence.  For  the  graduates  who  were  beginning 
to  be  sent  forth  there  was  a  demand  to  fill  positions 
of  high  importance,  much  in  excess  of  the  supply,  and 
by  no  means  limited  to  Shantung.  Besides  all  that 
had  been  achieved,  the  prospect  of  far  greater  things 
in  the  future  was  assured. 


IX 

THE  PRESS;    LITERARY  LABORS 

"Making  books  is  a  very  important  branch  of  missionary 
effort,  which  I  would  by  no  means  depreciate;  but  he  who  would 
undertake  it  should  be  sure  of  his  call,  and  should  not  begin 
too  soon.  There  is  a  temptation  to  forego  active  evangelistic 
work  for  the  less  laborious  and  perhaps  more  congenial  work 
of  sitting  in  a  study,  translating  or  studying  the  Uterature 
of  the  language.  Much  precious  time  is  sometimes  wasted 
in  this  way,  especially  in  the  earlier  stages  of  a  man's  Ufe, 
before  he  is  quite  able  to  weigh  himself  against  his  work.  It 
is  a  rare  thing  indeed  that  a  missionary  should  undertake 
writing  or  translating  a  book  inside  of  five  years,  and  then  he 
should  be  supported  by  the  advice  and  approval  of  his  older 
associates." — missionaries  and  the  language,  1902. 


M 


ATEER  was  at  no  time  a  very  prolific  con- 
tributor to  the  home  newspapers  and  peri- 
odicals. For  about  ten  years,  with  some  fre- 
quency, he  wrote  for  ''The  Presbyterian  Banner" 
letters  concerning  the  work  of  the  mission  done  by 
himself  and  others  in  China;  but  after  that  he  was 
too  busy  to  continue  such  writing,  except  at  long 
intervals.  Once  or  twice  he  sent  to  the  United  States 
more  labored  replies  to  what  he  considered  misleading 
articles  that  had  appeared  in  such  periodicals  as  "The 
Princeton  Review,"  in  regard  to  the  condition  of 
things  in  China.  He  greatly  deprecated  laudation 
of  matters  Chinese  and  unwarranted  hopefulness  as 
to  the  immediate  future  of  their  country.     He  was 

150 


THE  PRESS  151 

strongly  inclined  to  question  the  wisdom  of  the  policy 
which  the  United  States  was  pursuing  in  China  forty 
or  fifty  years  ago,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  express 
in  print  here  at  home  his  views  on  that  Une  of  topics. 
Beyond  these  fugitive  contributions  to  the  newspapers 
and  periodicals  he  published  Httle  else  in  this  country, 
save  a  booklet  or  two,  one  or  more  of  w^hich  he  pre- 
pared for  the  use  of  the  Board  at  their  request.  Some- 
times he  questioned  whether  his  slight  use  of  the  home 
press  might  not  leave  the  impression  there  that  he 
was  not  doing  as  much  as  others  who  were  more 
frequent  in  their  contributions;  but  all  the  same  he 
gave  himself  to  the  other  work  which  his  hands  found 

to  do. 

Most  of  his  contributions  to  current  literature 
appeared  in  China  and  were  written  for  "The  Chinese 
Recorder."  His  articles  in  this  periodical  extend 
over  almost  his  entire  missionary  Ufe,  some  of  them 
being  brief,  but  many  of  them  being  elaborate  dis- 
cussions of  great  subjects  affecting  directly  or  indi- 
rectly the  work  of  evangelization  in  non-Christian 
lands.  His  book  on  the  Chinese  term  for  God  was 
not  published  until  1902,  and,  of  course,  was  in  Eng- 
Hsh,  though  with  copious  extracts  from  Chinese 
Hterature.  His  only  other  English  book  was  a  review 
of  Dr.  Nevius'  ''Methods  of  Missions." 

His  publications  in  Chinese,  as  we  shall  presently 
see,  were  very  considerable  in  number,  and  were 
of  large  importance  to  the  work  of  missions;  for  he 
at  no  time  allowed  himself  to  be  diverted  to  the 


152        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

production  of  any  treatise  that  would  not  be  helpful  in 
the  one  service  to  which  he  consecrated  his  life.  But 
before  he  began  to  avail  himself  of  the  press  for  his 
own  books,  he  was  somewhat  unwillingly  compelled 
for  a  while  to  take  the  management  of  a  printing 
establishment.  Down  at  Shanghai  there  was  already 
a  mission  press,  the  funds  for  the  establishment  of 
which  had  in  large  part  been  contributed  for  that 
distinct  purpose,  and  which  had  been  left  hitherto 
to  the  management  of  the  Presbyterian  missionaries 
of  that  general  region.  The  Synod  of  China — by 
order  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States — was  organized  in  the 
"^  autumn  of  1870,  and  the  first  meeting  was  held  at 
Shanghai.  The  condition  of  the  mission  press  at 
that  place  was  brought  before  the  synod,  and  was  by 
that  body  handed  over  to  the  foreign  missionaries 
in  attendance,  as  more  properly  belonging  to  their 
control.  A  plan  covering  the  entire  operation  of 
the  plant,  as  drawn  up  by  Mateer  in  a  committee  and 
approved  by  the  entire  body,  was  sent  home  to  the 
Board  for  sanction,  which  in  due  time  it  received. 
One  of  the  things  for  which  immediate  provision  was 
necessary  was  a  man  to  take  charge  of  the  establish- 
ment, and  the  choice,  after  repeated  efforts  to  secure 
some  other  suitable  person,  and  after  his  own  refusal 
to  take  the  place,  returned  to  him  in  such  a  way  that 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  decline  it,  if  limited  to  a 
period  of  a  year,  and  with  the  privilege  of  spending 
some  time  as  necessary  up  at  Tengchow.     Of  course, 


THE  PRESS  153 

temporary  arrangements  had  to  be  made  for  the  con- 
duct of  the  school.  For  this  purpose  Julia's  sister, 
Maggie,  was  called  into  service;  and  with  such  assist- 
ance as  she  could  command  she  gave  excellent  satis- 
faction. She  was  also  in  possession  of  the  Mateer 
home.  As  to  the  work  to  which  he  was  thus  tem- 
porarily called  at  Shanghai,  he  said  in  his  Journal: 

While  it  is  a  very  great  trial  to  me  to  come  to 
Shanghai,  it  is  not  without  some  inducement.  It  will 
increase  very  largely  my  acquaintance,  and  will 
enlarge  my  knowledge  of  China  and  its  affairs.  Also 
I  hope  it  may  be  the  means  of  getting  something  of 
great  benefit  done  for  Julia's  health.  I  am  very  sorry 
that  the  doctor  who  treated  her  before  is  not  here  now. 
My  great  sorrow  is  that  it  will  interfere  with  my 
Chinese  studies,  and  prevent  me  accomplishing  what 
I  had  designed. 

It  was  not  until  August,  1872,  that  he  finally  went 
back  to  Tengchow  to  resume  his  work  there. 

The  details  of  his  Hfe  while  at  Shanghai  probably 
would  not  interest  most  readers.  He  said  of  it  in 
his  Journal,  under  date  of  January  29,  1872: 

I  neglected  everything  to  do  the  work  in  the  press, 
and  I  worked  with  an  assiduity  that  I  have  rarely 
given  to  anything  in  my  life.  I  had  hoped  when  I 
went  to  Shanghai  to  have  some  time  to  study,  but 
I  found  it  utterly  out  of  the  question.  The  demands 
for  the  press  were  imperative,  and  I  just  gave  myself 
to  the  work. 

Two  sides  of  his  capabilities  were  there  brought  into 
special  requisition.     One  of  these  was  his  efficiency 


154        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

as  a  business  manager, — a  characteristic  due  partly 
to  his  native  quaHties,  and  partly  to  his  habits  of 
accuracy,  of  wise  forethought,  of  careful  oversight, 
and  of  insistence  on  the  faithful  performance  of  duty 
by  all  employees.  This  side  of  his  character  is  brought 
out  by  his  '^ letter  books."  Separation  by  the  space 
of  half  a  globe  from  the  base  of  supplies  made  it 
necessary  to  anticipate  wants  by  eight  or  ten  months. 
For  convenient  reference  he  caused  every  business 
letter,  and  many  others,  to  be  copied.  Especially 
as  the  school  and  college  at  Tengchow  grew  on  his 
hands  he  had  to  conduct  what  was  in  reality  a  large 
miscellaneous  business,  under  conditions  that  were 
very  exceptionally  difhcult.  He  had  not  only  to 
provide  for  his  own  wants  in  his  family  and  in  his 
work,  but  also  to  accommodate  others  by  acting  as 
their  agent.  His  orders  had  to  go  sometimes  to 
Shanghai,  but  more  frequently  to  London,  or  to 
New  York,  or  to  some  place  in  the  interior  of  the 
United  States.  Many  are  curiosities,  owing  to  the 
nature  and  the  range  of  articles  included — from  a 
steam  engine  or  a  telescope  or  costly  chemical  supplies 
to  a  paper  of  pins.  Some  of  the  lists  cover  more  than 
ten  pages  in  the  copy.  Woe  to  the  merchant  or 
agent  in  London  or  New  York  or  Shanghai  who  by 
mistake  or  for  other  reason  sent  without  adequate 
explanation  any  article  that  was  not  quite  in  accord- 
ance with  the  order !  He  might  expect  to  get  a  sharp 
letter,  and  a  demand  to  rectify  the  mistake  if  that 
were  practicable.     Service  as  treasurer  of  the  mission 


THE  PRESS  155 

also  gave  him  drill.  Shilly-shally  workmen  are  one 
of  the  horrors  which  sometimes  call  from  him  in  his 
Journal  groans  of  anguish.  When  he  had  completed 
his  charge  of  the  press  establishment,  including  as 
it  did  a  book  department,  a  job  department,  a  dwelUng 
for  the  superintendent,  quarters  for  the  workmen, 
all  of  whom  were  Chinese,  a  chapel  for  these  work- 
men, and  other  equipments,  it  was  a  well-organized 
business,  running  regularly  and  smoothly,  and  doing 
its  work  about  as  efficiently  as  was  possible  under  the 
conditions. 

The  other  side  of  his  capabihties  there  especially 
called  into  exercise  was  his  mechanical  gifts.  As  an 
illustration,  the  following  from  his  Journal,  under  the 
same  date  as  that  just  given,  will  answer:  '^ 

I  had  to  get  a  Japanese  dictionary  started,  and  it 
was   a   most   embarrassing   affair.     My   predecessor 
had  made  promises  which  he  could  not  fulfill.     The    ; 
men  were  there  to  print,  and  yet  we  had  to  send  to    1 
England  for  paper  to  do  the  job.     Also  all  the  pro-    \ 
nunciation  marks  for  Webster's  dictionary  were  to  be     \ 
put  in,  and  we  did  not  have  the  type  or  the  matrices.     ! 
I  had  to  have  the  letters  cut  on  wood,  and  matrices     ' 
made;    this  was  a  world  of  trouble.     Some  of  the 
letters  were  cut  over  half-a-dozen  times  or  more,  and 
after  all  they  were  far  from  perfect.     I  also  had  a  set 
of  shaped  music  types  cut,  and  this  took  a  deal  of 
time  and  pains  to  get  them  all  properly  cut,  as  also 
to  get  the  matrices  made.     I  finally  succeeded  quite 
well  in  both  respects.     ...     I  also  experimented 
not  a  Httle  in  stereotyping,  and  succeeded  in  domg 
fair    work.     I    trained    one    boy    who    stereotyped 


156        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

Matthew  before  I  left.  In  order  to  carry  it  on  effec- 
tually and  rapidly  I  had  a  furnace  and  press  made  and 
fitted  up,  which  after  sundry  changes  worked  very 
well.  ...  I  also  had  a  new  style  of  case  for 
Chinese  type  made,  which  I  think  will  be  an  improve- 
ment on  the  old.  I  also  had  a  complete  and  thorough 
overhauling  of  the  matrices,  reassorted  them  all, 
and  had  new  cases  made.  This  was  a  serious  job, 
but  it  will  I  am  sure  prove  a  very  great  help  to  the 
efficient  working  of  the  estabHshment. 

He  consented  to  manage  the  press  only  until  a 
competent  man  could  be  secured  to  take  it  off  his 
hands.  When  casting  about  for  such  a  person,  his 
mind  had  been  directed  to  his  brother  John,  nearly 
a  year  before  he  was  himself  forced  into  this  position. 
John  had  hoped  to  go  to  college,  and  to  prepare  for 
the  ministry,  and  to  go  out  as  a  missionary,  but,  on 
account  of  certain  tendencies  developed  as  to  his 
health,  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  purpose. 
As  to  his  mechanical  gifts  and  his  abiHty  to  turn  them 
into  use  in  a  great  variety  of  ways,  he  resembled 
Calvin;  and  the  latter  was  so  confident  that  John 
could  soon  fit  himself  to  be  a  competent  superin- 
tendent of  the  press  at  Shanghai  that  he  advised  the 
Board  of  Missions  to  make  inquiry  in  regard  to  him. 
The  result  was  that  eventually  he  was  selected  for 
the  place,  and  he  arrived  in  China  early  in  August, 
187 1.  Before  he  could  satisfactorily  enter  on  his 
duties  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  acquire  some 
knowledge  of  the  language  and  to  acquaint  himself 
with  the  business  committed   to  his  charge.     This 


THE  PRESS  157 

detained  Calvin  until  late  in  that  year;  and  after  a 
period  of  some  three  months  spent  at  Tengchow, 
he  returned  to  Shanghai  to  assist  John  in  moving 
the  press  to  new  and  much  better  premises  that  had 
been  purchased.  The  moving  proper  was  a  heavy  job, 
requiring  a  week  of  hard,  dirty  labor.  The  distance 
was  about  a  mile,  mostly  by  water,  but  by  land  a 
hundred  or  more  yards  at  either  end.  While  thus 
engaged,  although  he  was  no  longer  ofhcially  at  the 
head  of  the  business,  he  took  the  main  charge,  so  as 
to  allow  his  brother  to  give  his  time  chiefly  to  the 
acquisition  of  the  language  and  to  other  things  that 
he  needed  to  learn. 

The  new  place  is  the  same  now  occupied  by  the 
press  in  Peking  Road.  Under  the  superin tendency 
of  Rev.  G.  F.  Fitch,  it  has  become  the  center  not 
only  of  the  Presbyterian  missions,  but  of  the  general 
missionary  activity  all  over  China.  In  writing  to 
his  brother  as  early  as  November,  1869,  he  said  of 
this  plant:  ^' It  is  a  very  important  place,  and  would 
give  you  an  extensive  field  for  doing  good.  The 
establishment  is  not  very  large,  it  is  true,  as  compared 
with  similar  establishments  in  such  cities  as  New  York 
or  Philadelphia;  yet  it  is  the  largest  and  best  of  the 
kind  in  China.  It  not  only  does  all  the  printing  for 
all  our  missionaries,  but  a  great  deal  of  job  work 
for  others;  besides  making  and  selling  a  large  amount 
of  type."  After  he  had  completed  his  term  of  the 
management,  and  while  helping  John  to  get  into  the 
traces,  he  wrote  to  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board: 


158        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

I  am  not  in  favor  of  enlargement,  but  I  would  be 
very  sorry  to  see  the  present  efficiency  of  the  press 
curtailed.  It  is  doing  a  great  and  a  good  work  not 
only  for  our  missions,  but  for  all  China.  It  has  exerted 
a  prodigious  collateral  influence  both  in  China  and 
in  Japan,  affording  facilities  for  the  production  of  all 
kmds  of  scientific  books,  dictionaries,  and  so  forth. 
Aside  from  any  general  interest  in  the  missionary 
work,  having  at  no  small  sacrifice  left  my  proper  work 
and  given  more  than  a  year  to  the  press,  and  also 
having  a  brother  here  in  charge  of  it,  I  feel  a  Uvely 
interest  in  its  future. 

The  last  record  that  has  come  down  to  us  concerning 
his  work  there  is:  ''We  have  just  sold  to  the  Chinese 
government  a  large  font  of  Chinese  type.  They  are 
going  to  use  movable  metal  type.  This  is  a  large 
step  for  them  to  take,  and  it  will  do  good.  China 
yields  slowly,  but  she  is  bound  to  yield  to  Christianity 
and  Christian  civilization." 

At  no  subsequent  period  of  his  life  had  he  any 
part  in  the  management  of  a  printing  establishment, 
but  indirectly  he  continued  to  have  much  to  do  with 
the  press.  He  was  a  member  of  a  Joint  committee 
of  the  Shantung  and  the  Peking  mission,  in  charge 
of  publications,  and  as  such  he  had  to  acquaint  himself 
mth  what  was  needed,  and  with  what  was  offered, 
so  as  to  pass  intelligent  judgment.  Unofficially  and 
as  a  friend  whose  aid  was  solicited,  he  revised  one  or 
more  of  the  books  which  his  associates  submitted 
to  him  for  criticism.  At  the  General  Conference  of 
Missionaries,  held  at  Shanghai  in  1877,  a  committee, 


LITERARY  LABORS  159 

of  which  he  was  a  member,  was  appointed  to  take 
steps  to  secure  the  preparation  of  a  series  of  school- 
books  for  use  in  mission  schools.  Not  long  after- 
ward he  published  an  elaborate  paper  on  the  subject, 
discussing  in  it  the  character  which  such  publications 
should  have,  and  especially  calling  attention  to  the 
need  of  peculiar  care  as  to  the  Chinese  words  which 
ought  to  be  employed  in  the  treatises  on  the  sciences. 
That  committee  diHgently  set  itself  to  work,  and 
initiated  measures  for  a  rather  comprehensive  set 
of  books  by  various  missionaries  to  meet  the  want 
recognized  in  this  general  field.  He  was  himself 
called  upon  to  prepare  several  books,  some  of  which  he 
was  willing  to  undertake;  others  he  put  aside  as  not 
properly  falling  to  him.  In  one  or  two  instances  he 
claimed  for  himself  precedence  as  to  treatises  suggested 
for  others  to  write.  Some  friction  occurred,  and  when 
the  Conference  met  again  in  1890  that  committee 
was  discharged,  and  an  Educational  Association, 
composed  of  missionaries  familiar  with  the  needs  of" 
schools,  and  confining  its  functions  more  exclusively 
to  the  publication  of  books  for  teaching — largely 
under  his  leadership — was  formed.  He  was,  its„fi>rst 
chairman.  This  change  he  had  warmly  favored,  and 
he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Association.  In 
it  he  was  chairman  of  a  committee  on  scientific  terms 
I  in  Chinese,  a  subject  of  great  difi&culty,  and  of  prime 
importance  in  the  preparation  of  text-books.  In 
the  subsequent  years  he  was  so  much  occupied  with 
the  revision  of  the  Mandarin  Bible,  and  with  other 


160        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

duties,  that  he  could  give  to  the  technical  terms  only 
a  secondary  place  in  his  activities.  Still,  six  years 
after  he  accepted  this  chairmanship  he  says:  ''I  have 
collected  a  large  number  of  lists  of  subjects  for 
terms  in  chemistry,  physics,  mathematics,  astronomy, 
geology,  metallurgy,  photography,  watch-making, 
machinery,  printing,  music,  mental  and  moral  philos- 
ophy, political  economy,  theology,  and  so  forth." 
Subsequently  he  continued  this  work. 

The  first  literary  production  of  his  own  pen  in 
Chinese  was  a  tract  on  infant  baptism;  this  was 
called  forth  by  local  conditions  at  Tengchow.  A  small 
sheet  tract,  entitled  ''A  Prayer  in  Mandarin,"  also 
followed  early.  As  chairman  of  the  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  Educational  Association,  he  made  a 
report  on  chemical  terms,  and  recommended  a  new 
and  distinctively  Chinese  method  for  the  symbols 
in  that  science.     This  was  printed. 

In  a  preliminary  report  of  the  Shanghai  press,  made 
in  September,  1 871,  he,  in  a  list  of  books  in  course  of 
preparation,  mentions  under  his  own  name  as  au- 
thor the  following:  ''i.  Catechism  on  Genesis,  with 
answers  to  the  more  difficult  questions, — finished, 
needing  only  a  slight  revision.  2.  An  explanation  of 
the  moral  law  as  contained  in  the  ten  command- 
ments,— half -finished.  3.  Scripture  Text-Book  and 
Treasury,  being  Scripture  references  by  subjects, 
supplying  in  great  part  the  place  of  a  concordance, — 
one-third  finished y  All  of  these  had  been  under  way 
for  several  years,  but  had  been  frequently  shunted 


LITERARY  LABORS  161 

off  the  track  by  other  imperative  work.  Very  soon 
after  that  date  the  catechism  was  pubHshed.  He  had 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  Julia's  "Music  Book,"  espe- 
cially in  coining  appropriate  terminology,  though  he 
never  claimed  joint  authorship  in  it.  Along  with  Dr. 
Nevius,  he  published  a  hymn  book  for  use  in  Chinese 
services;  and  down  to  the  close  of  his  Hfe,  especially 
on  a  Sabbath  when  he  did  not  preach,  he  now  and  then 
made  an  additional  Chinese  version  of  a  hymn.  In 
fact,  whenever  he  heard  a  new  hymn  that  especially 
moved  him  he  wished  to  enrich  the  native  collection 
by  a  translation  of  it  into  their  speech.  One  which 
the  Chinese  came  greatly  to  like  was  his  rendering 
of  the  Huguenot  song,  "My  Lord  and  I."  A  subject 
that  was  always  dominant  in  his  mind  and  heart  was 
the  call  to  the  ministry,  and  it  was  significant  that  one 
of  the  last  things  on  which  he  worked  was  a  transla- 
tion of  the  hymn  which  has  the  refrain,  "Here  am  I, 
send  me."  It  was  not  quite  finished  when  his  illness 
compelled  him  to  lay  down  his  pen;  but  recently  at 
a  meeting  of  the  Chinese  student  volunteers,  consti- 
tuting a  company  rising  well  toward  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  that  hymn  was  printed  on  cards,  and  a  copy  was 
given  to  each  of  these  candidates  for  the  ministry.  In 
1907  he  had  carried  a  theological  class  through  the 
Westminster  Shorter  Catechism,  and  as  an  outcome 
his  translation  was  published.  This  is  the  last  religious 
book  he  made  in  Chinese.  During  his  long  service 
as  a  missionary  he  taught  a  number  of  theological 

classes   in   various   studies,    and   his   lectures   were 
II 


162        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

regarded  as  very  superior,  but  he  published  none  of 
them. 

His  schoolbooks  all  originated  in  the  necessities 
of  his  own  work  as  a  teacher.  The  first  thus  to  force 
itself  upon  his  attention  was  an  arithmetic.  He  was 
already  at  work  on  it  in  1868,  and  it  went  to  press 
while  his  brother  John  was  superintending  the  plant 
at  Shanghai.  The  preparation  of  such  a  book,  to 
one  unacquainted  with  the  conditions  under  which 
this  one  was  made,  may  seem  to  have  been  a  rather 
easy  undertaking,  and  to  have  required  Kttle  more 
than  a  sufficient  mastery  of  the  Chinese  language  and 
of  English;  yet  there  were  some  perplexing  questions 
that  arose  in  connection  with  it.  For  instance,  the 
method  of  writing  numbers  horizontally  was  wholly 
imknown  to  the  Chinese.  Should  the  new  arithmetic 
use  the  western,  or  should  it  retain  the  Chinese 
method?  To  retain  the  Chinese  would  be  to  train 
the  pupils  in  a  usage  that  would  be  confusing  in  subse- 
quent reading  of  western  mathematics;  to  abandon 
it  would  be  equally  confusing  in  printing  the  text 
of  the  book,  which,  according  to  Chinese  usage,  must 
be  arranged  perpendicularly.  The  difficulty  was 
gotten  over  by  duplicating  each  pattern  example, 
giving  it  once  horizontally  and  once  perpendicularly. 
Pupils  using  the  book  were  permitted  to  take  their 
choice  in  performing  their  work,  but  in  the  text  proper 
all  numbers  appeared  vertically.  Such  fines  as  those 
dividing  the  numerator  and  denominator  of  a  fraction 
stood  perpendicularly,  with  the  figures  to  the  right 


LITERARY  LABORS  163 

and   the   left.     Until   he   published   his   arithmetic, 
the  Chinese  numerals  had  been  employed;   he  intro- 

f.  duced  the  Arabic.  At  the  dawn  of  the  new  era  subse- 
quent to  the  Boxer  outbreak,  almost  the  first  book 

':  in  demand  by  Chinese  teachers  and  pupils  outside  the 
mission  schools  was  a  western  arithmetic;  and  among 
others  put  upon  the  market  were  many  ''pirated" 
editions  of  Mateer's  book,  printed  on  cheap  paper 
and  with  wooden  blocks.  The  publishers  had  not 
yet  learned  the  significance  of  ''copyright."  The 
circulation  of  the  book,  however  brought  about,  had 
at  least  the  effect  of  immediately  increasing  the  reputa- 
tion of  its  author  among  the  scholarly  classes  outside 
the  church.  Of  the  editions  issued  by  the  press  at 
Shanghai  tens  of  thousands  of  copies  have  been  sold. 
Dr.  Fitch  v/rites  that  "it  is  impossible  to  state  the 
total  number,"  and  that  "the  book  has  gone  into  all 
parts  of  the  empire." 

In  October,  1884,  he  submitted  to  the  schoolbook 
committee  of  the  Educational  Association  the  manu- 
script of  his  geometry,  and  in  doing  so  he  said  of  it: 

It  is  the  result  of  much  pains  and  labor.  .  .  . 
The  book  is  written  in  plain  Wen-li,  and  much  pains 
has  been  taken  to  make  it  smooth  in  style  and  accurate 
in  meaning.  In  the  few  equations  used  I  have  intro- 
duced the  mathematical  signs  employed  in  the  West, 
of  which  I  have  given  a  full  explanation  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  book.  .  .  .  Mathematical  signs 
and  symbols  are  a  species  of  universal  language,  used 
aHke  by  all  civilized  nations,  and  it  is  unwise  to  change 
them  until  it  is  absolutely  necessary.     The  young  men 


164        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

who  have  given  most  effective  assistance  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  this  geometry  are  decided  in  their  opinion 
that  we  should  not  change  or  garble  the  mathematical 
symboKsm  of  the  West,  but  give  it  to  them  in  its 
integrity.  The  only  change  made  is  in  writing 
equations  perpendicularly  instead  of  horizontally, — 
a  change  which  is  necessitated  by  the  form  of  Chinese 
writing. 

The  book  was  published  the  following  year.  To 
the  same  committee  he  reports  in  March,  1882,  that 
his  algebra  was  then  all  in  manuscript,  and  only 
needing  revision  and  some  rearrangement  before  print- 
ing. The  geometry  was  followed  by  his  algebra, 
first   part.     These   have  had   a   large   sale,   though, 

*  because  fewer  studied  this  branch,  not  the  equal  of 
the  arithmetic. 

On  January  14,  1908,  he  sent  to  the  manager  of  the 
press  the  preface  to  the  second  volume  of  his  algebra, 

'  which  covers  the  same  ground  as  the  ''University" 
edition  in  the  United  States.  Of  this  Dr.  Hayes  says: 
''Over  twenty  years  ago  he  began  the  preparation 
of  Part  II  of  his  algebra,  and  the  draft  then  made  was 
used  in  manuscript  for  many  years.  Other  duties 
pressed  upon  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  lay  it 
away  unfinished.  Yet  he  had  not  forgotten  it,  but 
from  time  to  time  he  would  make  a  step  in  advance. 
It  was  only  a  few  months  before  his  death  that  the 
work  was  completed  and  published." 

fj     There  were  a  number  of  other  books  which  he 

I  planned,  on  some  of  which  he  did  considerable  work, 


LITERARY  LABORS  165 

but  none  of  which  he  completed.  One  of  these  was 
so  colossal  in  its  projected  scope  and  scholarship  that 
it  deserves  special  notice  because  indicative  of  the 
large  things  to  which  early  in  his  missionary  career 

^^  he  was  already  eager  to  give  his  time  and  abihties. 

M  This  was  a  Mandarin  dictionary.  Li  its  preparation 
he  sought  to  associate  with  himself  Rev.  Chauncey 
Goodrich,  of  Peking;  and  in  writing  to  him  under  date 
of  June  6,  1874,  he  thus  stated  his  conception  of  the 
work: 

My  idea  of  the  book  is  a  dictionary  of  the  spoken 
language  of  north  China,  in  all  its  length  and  breadth, 
including  on  the  one  hand  all  the  colloquiaKsms  that 
the  people  use  in  everyday  life, — all  they  use  in 
Chi-li  and  in  Shantung,  and  in  all  the  Mandarin- 
speaking  provinces,  so  far  as  we  can  get  it,  noting, 
of  course,  as  such,  the  words  and  phrases  we  know 
to  be  local.  Further,  let  it  include  as  a  prominent 
feature  all  sorts  of  ready-made  idiomatic  phrases, 
and  in  general  all  combinations  of  two  or  more  char- 
acters in  which  the  meaning  coalesces,  or  varies  from 
the  simple  rendering  of  the  separate  characters. 

.  Considerable  preliminary  work  had  already  been 
done,  when  the  death  of  Mrs.  Goodrich  compelled 
her  husband  to  withdraw  from  the  partnership;  and 
the  project  was  abandoned  by  Mateer,  though  with 
.  a  hope  that  it  might  be  resumed.  In  1900,  however, 
as  the  fruit  of  this  and  kindred  studies  he  published 
.  an  analysis  of  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
Chinese  characters.  This  Httle  book  was  designed 
to  help  children  in  dictation  exercises  to  write  char- 


166        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

acters,  and  is  still  largely  used  for  this  purpose  by 
mission  schools.  The  huge  dictionary,  though  never 
I  completed,  had  three  direct  descendants.  With  Dr. 
Goodrich  it  produced  first  a  Chinese  phrase  book, 
and  then  a  pocket  Chinese-English  dictionary,  which 
for  brevity  and  comprehensiveness  is  a  marvel,  and 
which  is  regarded  by  almost  every  student  of  Chinese 
as  a  necessity.  In  marked  contrast  with  these  two 
volumes  is  an  immense  dictionary  left  behind  in 
manuscript  by  Dr.  Mateer.  It  is  wholly  in  Chinese; 
and  as  it  lies  unfinished  it  occupies  more  than  a  cubic 
foot  of  space,  and  consists  of  a  set  of  volumes.  No 
comprehensive  dictionary  of  the  Chinese  language  has 
been  published  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and 
the  last  issued  had  been  mainly  classicaL  The  ob- 
ject of  this  was  to  supply  the  evident  need  of  a  great 
new  work  of  that  sort.  One  insurmountable  difficulty 
encountered  was  a  phonetic  arrangement  commanding 
common  usage.  None  had  the  requisite  approval. 
Fortunately,  on  this  undertaking  Dr.  Mateer  did  not 
spend  his  own  time,  except  so  far  as  that  was  necessary 
to  direct  the  preparation  of  it  by  his  scribes  when  they 
were  not  otherwise  employed. 

In  his  letter  to  his  college  classmates  in  1897  he 
says  that  he  has  ^'well  in  hand  a  work  on  electricity, 
and  one  on  homiletics  prepared  when  teaching  the- 
ology." Neither  of  these  was  finished  and  published. 
To  his  college  classmate,  S.  C.  T.  Dodd,  Esq.,  he  wrote 
in  1898  that  he  was  trying  also  to  finish  a  work  on 
moral  philosophy.     In  March,  1878,  he  wrote  to  Dr. 


LITERARY  LABORS  167 

W.  A.  P.  Martin,  of  Peking:    ''You  will  remember 
probably  that  when  you  were  here  I  spoke  of  my  inten- 
tion to  make  a  natural  philosophy  by  and  by.^  You 
said,  'Go  ahead/  and  that  you  would  retire  in  my 
favor  by  the  time  mine  was  ready,  say,  ten  years 
hence.     If  I  am  spared  I  hope  to  have  the  book  ready 
within  the  time,  if  not  sooner.     As  you  know,  natural 
philosophy  is  my  hobby,  and  I  have  taught  it  more 
thoroughly  probably  than  has  been  done  in  any  other 
school  in  China.     I  intend  when  I  visit  America  to 
prepare  myself  with  the  material  and  the  facilities 
for  such  work."     He  was  not  able  to  find  time  for 
this  work;  and  when  later  Dr.  Martin  invited  him  to 
write  for  the  revised  edition  of  his  treatise  the  chapter 
on  electricity,  this  privilege  had  for  the  same  reason 
to  be  put  aside.    He  had  also  advanced  far  toward 
(^'^the  completion  of  a  translation  of  "Pilgrim's  Pro- 
^  gress"  into  Mandarin. 

His  "Mandarin  Lessons"  was  published  early  in 
1892,  and  immediately  commanded  a  success  even 
larger  than  its.  author  may  have  anticipated.  Ever 
since,  it  has  gone  on  toward  a  more  general  use  by 
foreigners  wishing  to  master  the  language,  and  has 
now  far  outstripped  every  other  work  of  its  kind. 
He  was  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  making  the  book. 
June  28,  1873,  he  made  the  following  entry  in  his 
Journal  concerning  it: 

Most  of  last  week  and  this  I  have  spent  in  making 
lessons  and  planning  a  much  larger  number  than  I 
have  made.    Mr.  Mills  urged  me  to  work  at  them  for 


168        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Dr. 's  benefit,  as  he  did  not  seem  to  take  hold  of 

Wade.  I  did  not  think  of  what  a  job  I  was  sHding 
into  when  I  made  three  lessons  for  Maggie  a  few  years 
ago.  I  have  now  laid  out  quite  an  extensive  plan, 
and  if  I  am  spared  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to  finish  it, 
though  it  will  take  a  deal  of  work.  I  believe  that  I 
can  produce  a  far  better  book  than  any  that  has  yet 
been  brought  forth.  I  was  not  intending  to  do  this 
work  now,  and  cannot  work  much  more  at  it,  as  other 
matters  imperatively  demand  attention. 

Guided  by  the  hint  in  this  quotation,  we  are  able 
to  trace  the  book  still  farther  back  to  its  very  be- 
ginning. June  20,  1867,  he  said  in  his  Journal: 
\  "Maggie  Brown  [Julia's  sister]  has  been  pushing  on 
pretty  lively  with  the  Chinese.  I  made  her  lessons 
for  a  good  while,  which  she  studies,  and  now  she  is 
reading  'The  Peep  of  Day.'  I  tried  to  make  her 
lessons  with  a  view  to  bringing  out  the  peculiarities 
of  Chinese  idiom.  It  led  me  to  a  good  deal  of  think- 
ing and  investigating.  I  have  a  mind  to  review  and 
complete  the  work,  and  may  some  day  give  it  to  the 
world.  My  great  difficulty  is  in  classifying  the  results 
attained." 

As  the  years  went  by  his  ideas  of  the  plan  for  the 
work  took  definite  shape.  In  one  of  his  letters  con- 
cerning it  he  wrote: 

Each  lesson  illustrates  an  idiom,  the  word  idiom 
being  taken  with  some  latitude.  The  sentences, 
as  you  will  see,  are  gathered  from  all  quarters,  and 
introduce  every  variety  of  subjects.  I  have  also 
introduced  every  variety  of  style  that  can  be  called 


LITERARY  LABORS  169 

Mandarin,  the  higher  style  being  found  chiefly  in 
the  second  hundred  lessons.  The  prevailing  object, 
however,  is  to  help  people  to  learn  Mandarin  as  it  is 
spoken.  I  have  tried  to  avoid  distinct  locaHsms,  but 
not  colloquiahsms.  A  large  acquaintance  with  these 
is  important,  not  to  say  essential,  to  every  really 
good  speaker  of  Mandarin.  It  is,  of  course,  possible 
to  avoid  the  most  of  them,  and  to  learn  to  use  a  narrow 
range  of  general  Mandarin  which  never  leaves  the 
dead  level  of  commonplace  expressions,  except  to  intro- 
duce some  stilted  book  phrase.  This,  however,  is 
not  what  the  Chinese  themselves  do,  nor  is  it  what 
foreigners  should  seek  to  acquire.  Many  collo- 
quialisms are  very  widely  used,  and  they  serve  to  give 
force  and  variety  to  the  language,  expressing  in  many 
instances  what  cannot  be  expressed  in  any  other  way. 
I  have  tried  to  represent  all  quarters,  and  in  order  to 
do  so  I  have  in  many  cases  given  two  or  more  forms. 

In  the  pursuit  of  his  plan  he  sought  the  aid  of 

competent  scholars  in  the  north  and  in  central  China, 

so'  as  to  learn  the  colloquialisms  and  the  usage  of  words; 

also  in  the  preparation  of  a  syllabary  of  the  sounds 

of  characters  as  heard  in  each  of  the  large  centers  where 

foreigners  are  resident.     To  accomplish  this  he  also 

traveled  widely.    Late  in  1889,  after  a  summer  spent 

in  studying  the  dialects  of  China,  he,  in  company  with 

Julia,  made  a  three  months'  trip  to  the  region  of  the 

I    Yangtse,  going  down  on  the  Grand  Canal,  spending  a 

t  month  on  the  great  river,  and  remaining  a  month  at 

!    Nanking;  always  with  the  main  purpose  of  informing 

himself  as  to  the  current  Mandarin,  so  as  to  perfect 

his  book.    This  tour  enabled  him  to  give  it  the  final 


170        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

revision;  and  in  his  opinion  it  ''more  than  doubled 
the  value"  of  the  ''Lessons."  As  finished,  they  were 
a  huge  quarto  of  six  hundred  pages,  which  with  the 
help  of  Mrs.  Julia  Mateer  he  saw  through  the  press 
down  at  Shanghai.  In  1901,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Ada 
Mateer,  he  issued  a  more  elementary  work  of  the  same 
general  nature. 

The  protracted  study  and  care  which  he  put  upon 
the  "Lessons"  were  characteristic  of  him  in  all  his 
literary  productions.  Upon  this  subject  no  one  is 
better  qualified  to  bear  testimony  than  is  Dr.  George 
F.  Fitch,  Superintendent  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission 
Press,  at  Shanghai,  who  speaks  from  direct  personal 
observation.     He  says: 

One  very  marked  characteristic  of  Dr.  Mateer  was 
the  almost  extreme  painstaking  with  which  he  went 
over  any  work  which  he  was  getting  ready  for  publica- 
tion; revising  and  re-revising,  seeking  the  judgment  of 
others,  and  then  waiting  to  see  if  possibly  new  light 
might  dawn  upon  the  subject.  I  remember  reading 
shortly  after  I  came  to  China  the  manuscript  of  a 
paper  which  he  had  prepared  with  great  labor,  upon 
the  much-mooted  "term  question";  and  in  which  he 
had  collected,  with  infinite  pains,  seemingly  a  great 
number  of  quotations  from  the  Chinese  classics  and 
other  native  works,  bearing  on  the  use  of  Shen  as  the 
proper  word  for  God  in  Chinese.  I  urged  him  to 
publish  at  once,  as  I  thought  it  might  be  useful  in 
helping  settle  that  question.  But  he  stoutly  refused, 
saying  that  it  was  not  yet  complete.  Nor  did  it 
finally  see  the  light,  in  print,  until  nearly  twenty 
years  afterward. 


LITERARY  LABORS  171 

None  of  his  books  at  all  reveal  the  protracted  and 
toilsome  process  of  the  preparation.  We  see  only  the 
result  of  years  of  research.  For  instance,  in  his 
library  there  was  a  long  row  of  Chinese  books  each 
one  of  which  showed  a  large  number  of  little  white 
slips  at  the  top.  Each  one  of  this  multitude  of  marks 
had  been  placed  there  by  some  student  whom  he  had 
employed  respectively  to  read  works  in  Chinese 
likely  to  use  the  word  Shen,  in  order  to  indicate  the 
passages  at  which  he  needed  to  look.  All  these  were 
canvassed,  and  the  different  shades  of  meaning  were 
classified. 

From  the  ^'Mandarin  Lessons,"  and  recently  from 
the  arithmetic,  he  received  substantial  pecuniary 
returns,  though  not  at  all  sufficient  to  entitle  him  to 
be  regarded  as  wealthy.  In  his  manner  of  living  he 
would  have  been  untrue  to  his  training  and  impulses 
if  he  had  not  practiced  frugality,  economy,  and 
simplicity.  As  the  means  came  into  his  possession 
he  used  them  generously  both  for  personal  friends  and 
for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  to  which  he  had  conse- 
crated his  life.  Of  his  outlays  for  the  school  and 
college  we  shall  presently  need  to  speak.  The 
expenses  of  the  Yangtse  trip  came  out  of  his  own 
pocket.  March  9,  1895,  he  wrote  to  one  of  the  secre- 
taries of  the  Board: 

The  mission  minutes  spoke,  if  you  remember,  of 
my  intention  to  erect  a  building  for  a  museum  and 
public  lecture  room,  and  present  it  to  the  Board. 
This  I  intend  to  do  at  once.     It  will  cost  about 


172        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

twelve  hundred  dollars,  possibly  more.  I  may  say 
in  the  same  connection  also  that  my  ''Mandarin 
Lessons"  has  fully  paid  all  the  cost  of  printing, 
and  so  forth,  and  I  expect  during  the  next  year  to 
pay  into  the  treasury  of  the  Board  one  thousand 
dollars,  Mexican.  This  I  do  in  view  of  the  Kberality 
of  the  Board  in  giving  me  my  time  while  editing  and 
printing  the  book.  When  the  second  edition  is 
printed  I  expect  to  pay  over  a  larger  amount.  I 
need  not  say  that  I  feel  very  much  gratified  that  the 
book  has  proved  such  a  success:  especially  do  I  feel 
that  it  has  been,  and  is  going  to  be,  very  widely  use- 
ful in  assisting  missionaries  to  acquire  the  Chinese 
language.  My  scientific  books  are  also  paying  for 
themselves,  but  as  yet  have  left  no  margin  of  profits. 

May  20,  1905,  he  wrote  to  a  secretary:  ''I  may  say, 
however,  that  in  view  of  the  great  importance  of  the 
school  both  to  the  Tengchow  station  and  as  a  feeder 
to  the  college  at  Wei  Hsien,  I  have  set  apart  from  the 
profit  of  my  'Mandarin  Lessons'  enough  to  support 
the  school  for  the  present  year."  December  13,  1906, 
he  wrote  to  a  friend  in  the  United  States:  ^'My 
brother  is  now  holding  a  large  meeting  of  elders  and 
leading  men  from  all  the  stations  in  this  field.  There 
are  about  three  hundred  of  them.  It  is  no  small 
expense  to  board  and  lodge  so  many  for  ten  days. 
I  am  paying  the  bill."  In  one  of  his  latest  letters 
to  me  he  mentions  this  ability  pecuniarily  to  help  as 
affording  him  satisfaction. 


X 

THE  CARE  OF  THE  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS 

"The  need  of  the  hour  in  China  is  not  more  new  stations  with 
expensive  buildings  and  wide  itinerating.  It  is  rather  teaching 
and  training  what  we  have,  and  giving  it  a  proper  development. 
Most  of  all  we  should  raise  up  and  prepare  pastors  and  preachers 
and  teachers,  who  are  well  grounded  in  the  truth,  so  that  the 
Chinese  Church  may  have  wise  and  safe  leaders.  .  .  .  There 
are  already  enough  mission  stations,  or  centers,  in  the  province, 
if  they  were  properly  worked.  The  need  of  the  hour  is  to 
consolidate  and  develop  what  we  have,  and  by  all  means  in 
our  power  develop  native  agency,  and  teach  and  locate  native 
pastors, — men  who  are  well  grounded  in  the  faith." — letter 
TO  SECRETARY  FOX,  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  January  6, 
1906. 

DR.  MATEER  believed  that  sooner  than  most 
missionaries  anticipated  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tians will  join  together  and  set  up  an  inde- 
pendent church.  He  meant  by  this  not  merely  a  union 
of  the  ministers  and  churches  of  the  various  Presby- 
terian denominations  at  work  in  the  country,  such  as 
has  already  been  efifected,  but  an  organization  that 
would  include  in  its  membership  all  the  Protestant 
Christians,  and  that  would  leave  little  or  no  place  for 
the  service  of  foreign  missionaries.  He  regarded  this 
as  inevitable;  and  for  that  reason  he  considered  it 
to  be  of  prime  importance  that  such  an  effective 
preliminary  work  should  promptly  be  done,  that 
this  coming  ecclesiastical  independence  might  not  be 

173 


V 


174        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

attended  by  unsoundness  as  to  creed  or  laxity  in  life. 
At  the  same  time,  in  holding  up  the  care  and  the 
training  of  the  native  Christians  as  so  important  a 
part  of  the  work  of  the  foreign  missionary  in  China,  in 
anticipation  of  what  is  ahead,  he  was  only  for  an  addi- 
tional reason  urging  what  he  had  in  all  his  long  career 
recognized  as  second  to  no  other  in  importance.  Of 
course,  at  the  beginning  of  the  effort  to  give  the  gospel 
to  a  people  it  is  indispensable  to  do  "the  work  of  an 
evangeHst";  that  is,  to  seek  by  the  spoken  word  and 
by  the  printed  book  to  acquaint  them  with  elementary 
Christian  truth,  and  to  endeavor  to  win  them  to 
Christ;  and  we  have  already  seen  how  diligent  Dr. 
Mateer  was  in  this  service,  especially  in  his  earHer 
missionary  years.  But  he  was  just  as  diligent  in 
caring  for  the  converts  when  gained ;  and  in  the  school 
and  college  it  was  the  preparation  of  men  for  pastors 
and  teachers  and  evangelists  that  was  constantly  his 
chief  aim. 

The  first  body  of  native  Christians  with  whose 
oversight  he  had  anything  to  do  was  that  very  small 
band  that  had  been  gathered  into  the  church  at 
Tengchow.  Mills  was  the  senior  missionary,  and  as 
such  he  presided  over  that  little  flock  until  his  death. 
In  1867  he  was  installed  as  the  pastor,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  this  office  nearly  twenty  years.  During 
this  long  period  Dr.  Mateer  at  times  suppHed  the 
pulpit  and  cared  for  the  church  in  Mills's  absence  or 
illness,  but  for  most  of  the  time  it  was  only  as  a  sort 
of  adviser  that  he  could  render  help  in  that  field. 


CARE  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  175 

We  have  no  reason  to  think  specially  unfavorably 
of  Chinese  converts  because  some  of  those  with  whom 
he  then  had  to  do  at  Tengchow,  or  elsewhere,  proved 
themselves,  to  him,  to  be  a  discouraging  set  of  pro- 
fessing Christians.  Were  not  a  good  many  of  Paul's 
converts  very  much  of  the  same  grade  when  he 
traveled  among  the  churches,  and  wrote  his  letters? 
Did  it  not  take  much  patience,  and  MeHty,  and  per- 
sistence on  the  part  of  Christ  to  make  anything  worth 
while  out  of  his  select  disciples?  Yet  these  consti- 
tuted the  membership  of  the  primitive  church  from 
which  even  the  missionaries  of  our  day  have  originated. 
At  any  rate  some  of  the  earliest  experiences  of  Dr. 
Mateer  with  the  native  Christians  were  of  a  very 
depressing  sort.  In  his  Journal,  under  date  of  March 
17,  1864,  he  made  this  record: 

Since  coming  to  Tengchow  there  have  been  great 
difhculties  in  the  native  church.  Several  of  the  mem- 
bers were  accused  by  common  fame  of  various  im- 
moral practices, — one  of  smoking  opium,  another  of 
lying  and  conforming  to  idolatrous  practices,  and 
another  of  breaking  the  Sabbath.  The  second  of  these 
confessed  his  fault,  and  was  publicly  reproved;  the 
third  also  confessed,  and  on  his  profession  of  penitence 
was  restored  to  the  confidence  of  the  church.  But 
though  the  first  confessed  to  the  use  of  the  ashes  of 
opium,  he  gave  no  certain  assurance  of  amendment; 
and  he  was  suspended,  and  so  remains.  These  matters 
gave  us  all  a  great  deal  of  anxiety  and  sorrow  of  heart. 
It  is  sad  thus  to  find  that  even  those  who  profess  the 
name  of  Christ  are  so  much  under  the  power  of  sin. 
It  is  one  of  the  great  discouragements  of  the  missionary 


176        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

work.    Yet  God  is  able  to  keep  even  such  weak  ones 
as  these  unto  eternal  life. 

Under  date  of  September  15,  1866,  he  told  of  a 
worse  case  of  discipline: 

We  had  a  hearing  with  the  accused,  and  gave  him 
notice  that  he  would  be  tried,  and  of  the  charges  and 
witnesses.  We  wrote  to  Mr.  Corbett  at  Chefoo,  to 
get  depositions  for  us.  He  did  so,  and  we  met,  and 
tried  him.  The  evidence  was  sufhcient  to  convict 
him  of  lying,  and  of  forging  an  account,  and  of 
adultery;  notwithstanding,  he  denied  it  all,  endeavor- 
ing to  explain  away  such  evidence  as  he  was  forced 
to  admit.  We  decided  to  excommimicate  him,  and 
it  was  done  two  weeks  ago. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  such  discouraging  work ;  as  a  rule,  the  native  Chris- 
tians tried  to  hve  correct  lives;  and  the  worst  that 
could  be  said  of  most  of  them  at  those  early  dates  was 
that  they  were  ^' babes"  in  Christ.  But  we  cannot 
appreciate  what  the  missionary  needs  to  do  as  to  the 
professed  converts  unless  we  look  at  this  depressing 
phase.  Besides,  incidentally  we  are  thus  shown  one 
of  the  methods  by  which  the  native  Christians  were 
trained  in  the  conduct  of  their  own  churches.  Each 
case  is  dealt  with  Just  as  is  required  by  the  regulations 
of  the  denomination  with  which  the  church  is  asso- 
ciated. The  same  formalities  and  processes  are  em- 
ployed as  if  in  the  United  States;  the  same  fairness 
and  fullness  of  investigation,  with  witnesses  and  hear- 
ing of  the  accused;    and  the  same  effort  neither  to 


CARE  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  177 

fall  below  nor  to  exceed  what  justice  and  charity  com- 
bined demand  for  the  good  of  the  individual  and  of 
the  organization  as  a  whole.  As  to  this,  in  these  par- 
ticular cases  no  exceptional  credit  can  be  claimed  for 
Dr.  Mateer;  but  we  can  be  perfectly  sure  that  it 
commanded  his  hearty  approbation.  This  was  a 
practical  school  also  in  which  was  called  into  exercise 
a  quality  of  which  a  young  missionary,  and  especially 
a  man  of  his  type,  seldom  has  enough, — that  of 
minghng  a  firm  adherence  to  truth  and  righteousness 
with  a  forbearing  kindness  that  will  not  break  a 
bruised  reed  or  quench  the  smoking  flax.  Gradually 
this  became  so  characteristic  of  him  that  the  boys  in 
his  school  and  the  Christians  in  the  churches  were 
accustomed  to  come  to  him  and  unburden  themselves 
not  only  of  sorrows,  but  of  faults,  with  no  expecta- 
tion that  he  would  condone  wrong  or  shield  them  from 
its  just  consequences,  but  confident  that  he  would 
feel  for  them,  and  help  them  if  he  could.  Nor  was 
it  to  these  classes  alone  that  his  heart  and  hands 
opened.  As  they  came  to  know  him  better,  the  pro- 
fessor in  the  imperial  university  sought  his  advice 
and  the  coolie  turned  to  him  in  his  need ;  and  never  in 
vain. 

But  there  was  a  brighter  side  to  the  experience 
of  those  early  days.  Several  of  the  boys  in  the  school 
were  converted.  What  joy  this  aftorded,  we  who 
live  in  Christian  lands  cannot  appreciate.  The  little 
church  at  Tengchow  also  steadily  moved  forward 
in  those  early  days  of  its  history.  In  1869  it  had 
12 


178        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

risen  to  about  fifty  members,  and  the  attendance  was 
such  that  a  building  solely  for  its  services  became 
indispensable;  and  in  due  time  an  appropriation  was 
made  by  the  Board  of  Missions,  first  for  a  lot,  and  soon 
after  for  a  house  of  worship.  Pastor  Mills  was  then 
absent,  and  by  appointment  of  presbytery  Dr.  Mateer 
acted  as  stated  supply.  As  such,  having  first  bought 
the  lot,  he  made  an  appeal  to  the  Board  for  the  new 
edifice,  saying: 

We  hold  our  services  in  the  boys'  schoolroom,  which 
has  been  kept  inconveniently  large,  for  this  very 
purpose.  It  is  the  only  room  that  will  seat  all,  and 
it  will  not  do  it  sometimes.  The  desks  have  to  be 
carried  out  every  Sabbath;  and  all  the  benches, 
chairs,  and  so  forth,  about  the  estabhshment  carried 
in,  making  a  decidedly  nondescript  collection.  Aside 
from  the  inconvenience,  two  serious  drawbacks  are 
felt.  One  is  the  want  of  sacred  associations  about 
the  place.  All  heathen  are  wanting  in  reverence, 
and  no  small  part  of  what  they  need  is  to  have  this 
idea  instilled  into  their  minds.  We  greatly  need  in 
this  work  a  house  especially  devoted  to  the  worship 
of  God.  The  other  drawback  is  the  disorganizing 
effect  the  Sabbath  and  week-day  services  have  on  the 
school.  The  room  being  in  the  midst  of  the  premises, 
it  is  impossible  to  prevent  a  large  amount  of  lounging, 
gossiping,  and  so  forth,  in  the  boys'  room  before  the 
service  begins.  The  superintendent  feels  that  it  is 
a  very  serious  drawback  to  the  school,  as  well  as  an 
injury  to  the  native  Christians. 

Any  American  who  is  familiar  with  students  and 
their  habits  will  perceive  that  in  this  matter  Chinese 


CARE   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  179 

young  men  and  boys  are  very  much  like  those  of  our 
own  land. 

In  that  appeal  there  is  another  paragraph  that 
deserves  transcription  here: 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Christians  in  heathen  lands 
ought  to  build  their  own  churches,  but  this  is  impos- 
sible in  the  early  stages  of  the  work,  especially  at  the 
center  of  operations,  where  the  foreigner  preaches  and 
teaches  in  person,  and  where  a  large  part  of  his  hearers 
are  often  from  a  distance.  The  church  at  this  place 
gives  character  to  the  whole  work  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people  at  large,  and  must  of  necessity  differ  in  many 
respects  from  churches  in  small  places  presided  over 
by  native  pastors.  Concerning  these  last  we  have 
already  taken  a  decided  stand,  requiring  the  natives 
to  help  themselves  to  a  great  extent. 

Dr.  Mateer  was  appointed  by  the  presbytery  to 

serve  a  second  year  as  stated  supply  of  the  Tengchow 

church;    and  had  it  not  been  that  he  was  called  in 

1870  to  Shanghai  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  press, 

he  no  doubt  would  have  given  his  personal  supervision 

to   the   erection  of   the  new  house  of  worship.     It 

was  built  during  his  absence,  and  when  he  came  back 

'   he  rejoiced  in  its  completion.     At  the  death  of  Mills 

^  in   1895,   ^^-   Mateer  was  chosen  pastor,   and  was 

installed  as  such, — a  position  he  was  able  to  assume 

because  he  had  found  in  Mr.  Hayes  a  substitute  for 

u  himself  in  the  presidency  of  the  college.     He  remained 

[  i  pastor  until  he  went  with  the  college  to  Wei  Hsien. 

Dr.   Hayes   had   already   for   years   worked   quietly 

and  efficiently  in  the  school,  under  the  presidency  of 


180        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Dr.  Mateer,  and  had  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of 
exceptional  ability  and  energy^a  man  after  Dr. 
Mateer's  own  heart.  After  he  assumed  the  presi- 
dency Dr.  Mateer  was  still  to  assist  in  the  college, 
but  he  was  so  often  absent  or  otherwise  engaged  that 
both  the  college  and  the  preaching  were  largely  in 
the  hands  of  Dr.  Hayes. 

According  to  the  ''Form* of  Government"  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America, 
when  a  ''call"  is  made  out  for  a  pastor  it  must  be 
certified  to  have  been  voted  by  a  majority  of  the 
people  entitled  to  exercise  this  right;  and  it  must 
fill  the  blank  in  the  following  clause:  "And  that  you 
may  be  free  from  worldly  cares  and  avocations,  we 
hereby  promise  and  oblige  ourselves  to  pay  to  you 

the  sum  of in  regular  quarterly  (or 

half-yearly,  or  yearly)  payments  during  the  time  of 
your  being  and  continuing  the  regular  pastor  of  this 
church."  In  the  settling  of  native  pastors  over  the 
\  Chinese  churches  scattered  through  the  country, 
the  filling  of  that  blank,  and  the  actual  subscription 
of  the  funds  needed  for  this  and  other  expenses  of 
the  organization,  usually  require  the  presence  of  a 
missionary  and  of  his  earnest  stimulation  and  guidance. 
Sometimes  the  pledges  are  very  liberal,  if  estimated 
by  ability  of  the  members;  and  sometimes  it  is  with 
great  difficulty  that  they  are  brought  up  to  the  mea- 
sure of  their  duty.  The  salaries,  however,  are  almost 
incredibly  small,  and  even  according  to  Chinese 
standards  are  scarcely  sufficient  for  a  liveHhood.    We 


V; 


CARE   OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  181 

need  to  keep  this  state  of  things  in  mind  in  order  to 
appreciate  the  amount  that  was  inserted  in  the  blank 
in  Dr.  Mateer's  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Tengchow 
church.  In  reporting  the  entire  procedure  to  the 
Board  of  Missions,  he  said:  "The  church  in  Teng- 
chow in  calling  me  for  their  pastor  promised  a  salary 
of  cash  amounting  to  fifty  dollars,  which  is  to  be  used 
to  employ  an  evangehst  whom  I  am  to  select  and 
direct."  Of  course,  he  continued  to  receive  his  own 
pay  as  a  missionary  from  the  funds  of  the  Board. 
The  fifty  dollars  was  probably  a  creditable  amount, 
as  contributed  by  the  native  members  out  of  their 
narrow  means;  and  as  a  salary  for  a  native  evan- 
gelist it  was  at  least  a  fair  average. 
/  When  reporting  this  pastorate  to  the  Board  of 
Missions,  Dr.  Mateer  said,  "This  is  work  that  I  love 
to  do,  especially  the  preaching."  When  doing  the 
work  of  an  evangehst  among  the  people  at  large,  ser- 
monizing could  have  no  place.  Even  formal  addresses 
of  any  sort  were  rarely  practicable.  The  best  that 
the  missionary  can  do  when  itinerating  is  to  get 
attention  by  any  legitimate  means,  and  then  to  talk, 
and  hear  and  answer  questions,  and  bear  with  all 
sorts  of  irrelevancies  and  interruptions.  But  when  a 
church  is  organized,  a  sermon,  consisting  of  a  passage 
of  Scripture  and  a  discourse  built  upon  it,  is  just  as 
much  in  place  as  it  is  in  one  of  our  home  houses  of 
worship  on  the  Sabbath.  It  was  to  the  opportunity 
for  that  form  of  service  that  he  refers  when  he  ex- 
pressed his  pleasure  in  the  pastorate.     In  this  also 


182        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

he  greatly  excelled.  Some  who  knew  him  most  in- 
timately, and  who  appreciated  fully  his  great  worth 
and  efficiency,  did  not  regard  him  as  a  very  eloquent 
preacher  in  an  English  pulpit.  He  commanded  the 
attention  of  his  audience  by  his  strong,  clear,  earnest 
presentation  of  the  great  rehgious  truths  which  he 
beHeved  with  all  his  soul.  The  personaHty  and  conse- 
cration of  the  man  were  a  tremendous  force  when  he 
stood  in  a  pulpit  in  his  own  land;  what  he  lacked  was 
the  ability  which  some  speakers  possess  of  carrying 
his  audience  with  him,  almost  irrespective  of  the 
thoughts  to  which  they  give  utterance.  But  in 
preaching  to  the  Chinese  he  took  on  an  extraordinary 
effectiveness.  There  was  in  the  man,  in  the  movement 
of  his  thought,  in  his  mastery  of  the  language,  in  the 
intense  earnestness  of  his  dehvery,  in  the  substance 
of  his  sermons  and  addresses,  much  that  captivated 
the  native  Christians,  and  made  others  bow  before 
his  power.  Mr.  Bailer,  who  had  heard  him  frequently, 
says:  "His  sermons  were  logical,  direct,  a  unit  in 
thought  and  enriched  with  a  copious  vocabulary  and 
illustrations.  His  points  were  usually  put  from  the 
Chinese  point  of  view,  so  that  a  foreign  air  was  con- 
spicuously absent."  To  this  day  some  of  his  addresses 
are  recalled  as  triumphs  of  real  eloquence  of  speech; 
perhaps  the  most  notable  of  these  being  an  address 
which  he  delivered  at  the  opening  of  the  English 
Baptist  Institution  at  Tsinan  fu,  in  1907.  It  was  an 
opportunity  such  as  never  before  had  come  to  a 
missionary   in    Shantung, — all    the   highest   officials 


CARE  OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  183 

of  the  province,  and  half-a-hundred  others  of  lesser 
degree,  being  present.  He  took  as  his  theme  "The 
Importance  of  an  Upright  Character,"  and  more  than 
rose  to  the  height  of  the  occasion.  One  of  his  most 
memorable  sermons  was  delivered  before  a  convention 
of  some  three  hundred  women  gathered  at  Wei  Hsien 
from  the  native  church  members  of  that  region. 

His  ministry  at  Tengchow  was  fruitful  of  great 
good  in  many  ways.  One  of  these  was  the  growth 
of  the  church  by  the  conversion  of  the  natives.  Just 
before  he  removed  to  Wei  Hsien,  he  recorded  the  fact 
that  during  all  his  pastorate  there  had  not  been  one 
of  the  quarterly  communions  at  which  there  were  no 
additions.  The  beginning  of  his  pastorate  was  sig- 
nahzed  by  the  accession  of  eighteen, — eight  being 
from  the  college  and  six  from  the  girls'  school.  Its 
close  was  marked  by  an  accession  of  twenty-six,  of 
whom  twenty-one  were  baptized,  the  largest  number 
up  to  that  date  ever  receiving  that  sacrament,  at  the 
same  time,  in  the  Tengchow  church.  Only  one  was 
from  the  college,  all  the  rest  having  come  in  through 
the  labors  of  two  associates  in  the  station.  Miss  Snod- 
grass  and  Dr.  Seymour. 

Just  as  soon  as  by  evangelistic  itineration  and  other 
means  converts  were  made  in  the  neighboring  region, 
outside  of  Tengchow,  it  became  necessary  for  the 
missionaries  to  look  after  these  scattered  sheep  in  the 
wilderness;  and  for  a  good  while  a  large  share  of  that 
work  fell  to  Dr.  Mateer  and  his  wife.  In  fact,  it 
had  been  partly  through  their  labors,  direct  or  indirect. 


184        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

that  these  converts  had  been  won,  and  therefore  they 
felt  it  especially  a  duty  to  care  for  their  nurture. 
That,  of  course,  involved  a  large  variety  of  efforts. 
In  the  earHer  years  these  frequently  consisted  in  part 
^  of  interposition,  so  far  as  it  was  wise  and  practicable 
j  to  shield  native  Christians  from  gross  wrongs  to 
I  which  they  were  exposed.  The  hatred  of  the  rulers 
"^'"and  of  most  of  the  people  for  foreigners  and  the 
foreign  rehgion  was  bitter.  Even  at  Tengchow  the 
very  tombstones  in  the  little  cemetery  where  the 
missionaries  buried  their  dead  were  repeatedly  broken, 
— an  act  regarded  by  the  Chinese  as  the  most  gross 
and  cowardly  insult  that  can  be  offered  to  a  living 
man;  yet  it  was  slow  work  to  secure  from  the  officials 
protection,  or  justice  as  to  the  criminals.  The  case 
of  Miao,  of  Chow  Yuen,  a  district  capital  situated 
fifty  miles  to  the  southwest  of  Tengchow,  is  specially 
notable.  Early  in  1869  the  Mateers  and  Margaret 
Brown,  with  a  Chinese  assistant,  went  to  itinerate, 
and  on  the  way  they  visited  him.  When  converted 
out  in  his  native  district  of  Tsi  Hea,  he  immediately 
began  to  endeavor  to  win  others  to  Christ.  So  he 
sent  word  to  his  clansmen  and  friends  that  he  had 
important  business  with  them,  and  invited  them  to 
come  to  his  house.  This  occurred  while  the  mis- 
sionaries were  there,  and  they  witnessed  what  took 
place  at  the  gathering.  Miao  made  a  reception 
speech,  in  which  he  said:  ^'I  have  sent  for  you,  and 
you  have  come.  I  said  nothing  in  my  letter,  but  for 
you  to  come,  and  that  I  had  an  important  matter  to 


CARE  OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  185 

tell  you.  It  is  this:  I  have  led  you  in  serving  the 
Devil.  There  was  nothing  I  would  not  dare  to  do,  and 
nothing  that  you  would  not  care  to  follow  me  in  doing. 
I  have  now  found  something  better.  We  have  often 
engaged  in  doubtful  enterprises.  I  have  now  found 
something  that  there  is  no  doubt  about:  it  is 
thoroughly  reliable,  resting  on  the  strongest  possible 
proof.  I  have  left  the  service  of  the  Devil,  and  I  want 
you  to  leave  it.  As  I  have  led  you  in  his  service, 
I  want  now  to  lead  you  out  of  it.  I  want  to  show  you 
the  way  and  to  present  you  to  the  true  God.  Ex- 
amine for  yourselves ;  search  to  the  bottom;  and  know 
that  I  am  not  deceiving  myself  nor  you.  This  doc- 
trine of  Jesus  is  absolute  and  unmistakable  truth." 
In  writing  of  this,  Dr.  Mateer  adds:  ''These  words 
were  spoken  with  a  fervor  and  an  emphasis  that 
brought  tears  to  my  eyes.  I  thanked  God  for  them, 
while  I  prayed  that  they  might  not  be  in  vain.  Rice 
was  then  brought,  and  this  young  Christian  sat  down 
with  his  friends  and  asked  a  blessing, — the  first  they 
had  ever  heard, — praying  for  them  directly  and 
specifically.  The  whole  village  came  to  hear,  with 
many  from  neighboring  villages.  Save  the  time 
occupied  in  eating,  we  preached  to  them  nearly  all 
day,  keeping  it  up  till  far  into  the  night.  The  ladies 
also  had  crowds  to  hear  them  all  the  time."  It  was 
not  long  until  Miao,  partly  of  himself  and  partly  at 
the  instigation  of  other  native  Christians,  came  to 
Chow  Yuen,  with  the  determination  to  estabUsh 
himself  there  as  a  preacher  of  his  new  faith.     In 


186        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

August  of  the  same  year  the  Mateers  again  visited 
him,  this  time  at  his  new  place  of  residence,  and  did 
what  they  could  to  help  him  in  his  chosen  work. 
His  education  and  character  were  such  as  to  promise 
well.  Following  the  usual  custom  of  a  Chinaman 
when  about  to  start  a  new  enterprise,  a  feast  was 
made;  some  eighteen  guests  responded  favorably  to 
invitations  to  be  present,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
entertainment  a  sort  of  meeting  was  held,  and  Dr. 
Mateer  made  a  brief  statement  of  what  Christianity 
is,  what  was  the  nature  of  this  enterprise,  and  what 
was  Miao's  relation  to  it.  He  told  the  audience  that 
the  mission  would  pay  the  rental  of  a  small  chapel, 
but  that  Miao  would  work  gratuitously,  except  so 
far  as  he  might  be  assisted  by  the  voluntary  contri- 
butions of  his  friends.  All  the  Chinese  present,  with 
the  exception  of  two  members  from  the  Tengchow 
church,  were  non-Christians,  yet  the  guests  sub- 
scribed a  sum  sufficient  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the 
feast  and  to  leave  a  surplus  to  go  toward  the  support 
of  the  preacher.  Some  of  his  friends  had  already 
promised  to  help  to  support  him,  and  had  presented 
him  with  a  fine  signboard  to  hang  in  front  of  the  room 
he  occupied  as  his  chapel,  and  another  for  the  back 
of  the  stand  where  he  stood  when  speaking.  All 
this  was  so  exceptional  and  so  hopeful  that  Dr. 
Mateer  came  away  rejoicing  in  this  apparent  readiness 
even  of  the  unevangelized  to  welcome  the  gospel.  But 
here  begins  quite  another  turn  of  the  story.  Miao 
had  continued  but  a  few  days  at  this  work  when  a 


CARE  OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  187 

couple  of  constables  seized  him  and  the  man  from 
whom  he  had  rented  the  room  for  a  chapel,  and 
hurried  them  to  the  ofhce  of  the  magistrate.  The 
owner  was  accused  of  having  rented  a  house  to 
''foreign  devils,"  and  was  forthwith  beaten  most 
cruelly  to  the  extent  of  two  hundred  blows.  Miao 
was  then  called,  charged  with  evil  doctrines  and 
practices,  such  as  kneeling  in  prayer  and  calKng  on 
unseen  personages.  In  reply  he  rehearsed  the  chief 
truths  of  the  gospel,  and  in  answer  to  a  taunting 
question,  whether  Jesus  could  suffer  for  him,  he  said 
that  he  so  believed.  The  magistrate  ordered  him  to 
be  beaten  fifty  blows  with  the  large  bamboo  and  sent 
him  chained  to  prison.  That  evening  he  had  a  second 
hearing,  and  the  next  morning  he  was  marched  off, 
with  a  chain  about  his  neck  and  his  hands  bound 
together,  thirty  miles  away  to  Tsi  Hea,  but  comforting 
himself  in  his  weariness  and  suffering  by  singing 
Christian  hymns.  The  morning  after  his  arrival 
he  was  called  before  the  magistrate  and  confronted 
with  charges  forwarded  from  Chow  Yuen — such  as 
being  in  league  with  foreign  devils,  using  false  pre- 
tense of  preaching  religion,  seducing  the  people  by 
artful  works,  being  possessed  of  secret  magical  arts, 
taking  forcible  possession  of  a  house,  influencing  the 
people  to  form  combinations  dangerous  to  the  state, 
and  a  whole  rigmarole  of  offenses,  big  and  little.  He 
was  commanded  to  confess,  and  when  he  would  not, 
he  was  first  beaten  three  hundred  blows  with  the 
small  bamboo,  and  then  he  received  a  hundred  more 


188        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

in  the  face.  The  second  day  he  was  recalled,  and 
when  he  still  would  not  confess  he  was  again  beaten. 
The  magistrate  being  especially  searching  in  his 
inquiry  as  to  how  Christians  prayed,  and  as  to  what 
they  prayed  for,  Miao  as  the  best  explanation  he 
could  give  kneeled  and  prayed  in  his  presence.  At 
this  stage  of  the  affair  Dr.  Mateer,  having  been  in- 
formed of  the  situation,  arrived,  and  secured  a  promise 
from  the  officer  that  he  would  go  no  further  until  he 
heard  from  his  superiors;  and  on  his  return  to  Teng- 
chow  he  reported  the  case  to  the  American  consul  at 
Chefoo,  though  with  Httle  hope  that  under  the  preva- 
lent poHcy  of  the  American  government  anything 
would  be  done.  In  an  article  in  ''The  Presbyterian 
Banner''  he  said:  ''I  shall  not  soon  forget  my  feehngs 
when  I  saw  this  Christian  brother  with  a  chain  round 
his  neck  and  his  body  disfigured  with  bruises  for  the 
gospel's  sake.  I  could  not  restrain  the  tears  as  I 
looked  him  in  the  face.  It  is  one  thing  to  talk  of 
persecution  a  thousand  miles  aw^ay,  and  another  to 
see  it  face  to  face.  I  assured  him  of  our  s\TQpathy 
and  unceasing  prayers  in  his  behalf,  and  that  I  would 
do  my  utmost  to  rescue  him.  .  .  .  Numbers  of 
the  native  Christians  have  boldly  \isited  Miao  in 
prison,  and  some  of  them  even  prayed  with  him.  All 
have  been  stirred  up  to  pray  as  never  before,  and  made 
to  feel  that  their  only  hope  is  that  God  will  interpose 
on  their  behalf.  This  young  Christian  has  been 
guilty  of  no  offense  against  the  state.  The  charges 
preferred  by  the  ofiicers  are  pure  fabrications,   the 


CARE   OF   NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  189 

inventions  of  malice  and  hatred  to  the  truth,  and 
would  never  have  been  entertained  by  the  officer 
had  he  not  been  only  too  glad  of  a  pretext  to  get  the 
Christians  in  his  power."  So  soon  as  possible  Dr. 
Mateer  wxnt  to  Chefoo  to  see  the  American  consul, 
and  on  his  return  home  he  learned  that  Miao  had 
been  released,  under  some  restrictions  as  to  his  where- 
abouts; but  no  amends  were  made  for  the  gross  injus- 
tice done. 

There  was  still  a  long  sequel  to  this  affair.  After 
the  period  which  has  since  inter\'ened  the  story  seems 
to  be  unworthy  of  the  dignity  of  a  full  recital  here; 
though  it  might  be  interesting  to  some  as  an  example 
of  obstacles  encountered  by  the  work  of  missions  away 
from  places  where  foreign  influences  are  commonly 
powerful  enough  to  prevent  them.  A  condensed 
account  must  suffice.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
it  was  in  August  that  the  persecution  of  Miao  occurred. 
The  purpose  of  it,  at  least  in  part,  was  to  shut  Christi- 
anity out  of  Chow  \  uen.  To  allow  this  would  have 
been  to  inflict  on  that  cause  a  blow  that  probably 
would  encourage  opposition  of  a  like  kind  in  other 
localities;  and  therefore  it  e\ndently  w^as  the  duty  of 
the  missionaries  to  prevent  it  if  practicable.  Espe- 
cially  was  it  true  of  Dr.  Mateer  that  he  was  too 
resolute  a  spirit  to  yield  to  such  a  violation  of  rights 
secured  under  treaty  with  foreign  governments.  Con- 
sequently late  in  November  he  went  again  to  Chow 
Yuen,  in  order  to  secure  a  house  that  could  be  used 
as  a  chapel;   for  in  the  inter\^al  between  these  visits 


190        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

the  room  previously  occupied  for  this  purpose  had 
gone  into  other  hands  and  was  no  longer  available. 
The  magistrate  also  had  been  promoted,  and  another 
filled  his  place.  Dr.  Mateer  soon  found  a  house, 
rented  it,  and  secured  the  approval  of  the  magistrate. 
Then  followed  a  series  of  chicanery,  brutality,  deceit, 
low  cunning,  and  petty  meanness  running  over  several 
months,  and  compelhng  two  more  trips  by  him  in  the 
dead  of  winter.  Once  he  took  with  him  two  other 
missionaries,  and  they  went  armed  with  pistols  in 
order  to  defend  themselves  if  attacked.  The  old 
woman  who  rented  the  room  to  him,  and  who  in  so 
doing  had  been  animated  by  ill  will  to  her  relatives 
and  by  a  desire  for  money,  was  seized  and  beaten 
by  members  of  her  own  family,  and  likewise  by  the 
magistrate.  The  same  gang  beat  the  middleman 
who,  according  to  Chinese  custom,  had  negotiated  the 
bargain.  The  whole  rental  was  only  about  ten  dol- 
lars. Petty  and  miserable  as  the  affair  was,  it  had 
its  ludicrous  features;  as,  for  instance,  when  Dr. 
Mateer,  in  his  determination  not  to  be  ousted  from 
the  house  until  some  satisfactory  arrangement  was 
made,  picked  up  the  old  woman  and  set  her  down  on 
the  outside,  where  she  exhausted  her  strength  in 
bilKngsgate.  It  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  March 
that  the  trouble  at  Chow  Yuen  was  finally  ended. 
^  The  issue  was  a  triumph  in  the  main  for  the  mis- 
/  sionary;  another  acceptable  room  was,  with  the 
!  official  approval  of  the  magistrate,  secured  for  a 
chapel,  and  the  money  that  had  been  paid  for  the 


CARE  OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  191 

rental  of  the  other  house  was  refunded.  The  best 
of  all  was  the  fate  that  overtook  the  man  who  had 
been  the  ringleader  in  the  long  series  of  wrongdoings 
toward  the  representatives  of  Christianity.  The 
magistrate  did  his  best  to  shield  this  fellow,  but  at 
last  he  had  to  yield.  He  called  the  man  into  his 
presence,  and  this  is  what  was  done,  as  related  by  Dr. 
Mateer:  ''He  was  required  to  knock  head  to  me; 
and  then  I  took  him  in  hand,  and  though  he  tried  to 
evade,  I  compelled  him  to  own  up  to  his  sin,  and  to 
make  a  distinct  promise  of  amendment;  and  then  the 
substance  of  what  he  said  was  put  on  record  by  the 
clerk,  and  a  copy  was  given  me."  It  all  illustrates 
what  a  determined  man  who  has  right  on  his  side 
may  accomplish  even  in  an  out-of-the-way  city  in 
China.  It  is  characteristic  of  Dr.  Mateer  that  in 
one  place  in  his  Journal  during  this  wearisome  affair 
he  says  that  if  it  were  not  for  his  school  he  would  go 
to  Chow  Yuen,  and  stay  there  until  a  settlement  is 
reached.  Perhaps  in  later  years  Dr.  Mateer  and  his 
associates  would  have  regarded  it  as  inexpedient  to 
go  so  far  in  the  defense  of  a  convert;  but  in  those 
earlier  days  this  was  a  battle  for  toleration  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  not  a  mere  struggle  to  right  the  wrongs 
of  an  individual  convert. 

Other  incidents  of  the  dark  side  to  the  work  of 
caring  for  the  native  Christians  might  be  given,  but 
I  have  thought  it  best  to  turn  chiefly  to  the  brighter 
phases  of  the  subject.  Of  these  there  were  'many, 
and  they  were  of  many  kinds;   but  they  were  of  so 


192        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

unsensational  a  character  as  not  now  to  be  likely  to 
awaken  much  interest  in  the  reader.  They  belong  to 
the  day  of  small  things  for  the  gospel  in  China;  but 
let  them  not  be  despised;  by  and  by  they  will  be 
treasured,  if  the  record  of  them  is  preserved,  as  the 
beginnings  of  the  evangeHzation  of  Shantung.  When 
they  occurred  they  brought  the  joy  of  approaching 
harvest.  For  example,  in  connection  with  that  last 
trip  out  to  Chow  Yuen,  Dr.  Mateer  wrote: 

As  it  was  Saturday,  however,  I  felt  I  must  try  if 
possible  to  get  home,  so  that  the  Sabbath  service 
should  not  be  neglected,  when  so  many  inquirers 
were  waiting  to  hear.  I  found  not  only  the  ten  who 
had  come  from  Ping  Tu,  but  some  seven  or  eight 
from  other  places.  I  had,  of  course,  to  commence 
teaching  them  at  once.  I  gave  the  half  of  each  day 
to  them,  and  continued  it  without  interruption  for 
three  weeks.  They  gave  diligent  attention  to  the 
business  of  learning.  At  the  same  time  Mrs.  Mateer 
had  a  class  of  women  who  were  seeking  admission 
to  the  church.  Last  week  all  who  were  considered 
ready  were  examined  by  the  session  and  passed  upon. 
Twenty  were  received, — fifteen  men  and  five  women. 
They  were  all  baptized  together  yesterday.  It  was 
a  new  sight  in  Tengchow,  to  see  such  a  number  stand- 
ing up  at  once  to  profess  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I 
hope  that  we  are  all  grateful  as  we  should  be  for  such 
a  signal  token  of  God's  presence  with  us.  Our  hearts 
are  enlarged  to  look  for  still  greater  things  in  the 
future.  Our  schoolroom  was  packed  to  its  utmost 
capacity,  so  that  when  the  twenty  rose  up  to  present 
themselves  for  baptism,  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  room  could  be  made  for  them  to  stand.     Let 


CARE  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  193 

us  hope  that  the  day  of  small  things  is  past  in  this 
part  of  China.  Chinese  officials  may  persecute  us, 
and  foreign  governments  ignore  us,  but  they  cannot 
restrain  God's  Spirit.  There  are  still  a  number  of 
inquirers. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  his  missionary  life  he  frequently 
made  trips  of  greater  or  less  length  to  various  places 
in  the  province  to  help  the  native  Christians  by 
organizing  churches,  assisting  their  pastors,  holding 
services,  stimulating  to  work  for  the  gospel,  admin- 
istering the  sacraments,  and  in  every  other  available 
manner  forwarding  the  cause  of  Christianity.  Hospi- 
tahty  was  gladly  extended  by  the  people;  and  it  was 
as  gladly  accepted,  though  not  infrequently  it  intro- 
duced to  quarters  that  were  odd  and  even  uncanny. 
Dr.  Mateer  described  guest  rooms  in  which  he  was 
entertained,  and  which  were  a  strange  combination 
of  granary,  receptacle  for  lumber,  bedchamber  and 
''parlor,"  crammed  with  all  sorts  of  corresponding 
articles,  not  excepting  a  coffin  conspicuously  displayed 
in  a  corner.  However,  in  his  own  home  he  lived 
without  ostentation;  and  on  his  journeys  he  did  not 
find  it  hard  to  adapt  himself  to  the  customs  of  his 
native  entertainers. 

In  later  years,  though  for  the  most  part  he  left 
itinerations  to  the  younger  members  of  the  mission, 
yet  he  did  not  entirely  discontinue  them.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1896,  for  instance,  he  wrote  to  the  secretaries 
of  the  Board  of  Missions: 


13 


194        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Three  weeks  ago  Mrs.  Mateer  and  I  returned  from 
a  trip  of  seventeen  days  to  the  district  of  Lai  Chow, 
eighty  miles  distant.  Our  friends  protested  against 
our  taking  such  a  trip  in  the  winter  and  in  our  state 
of  heahh.  We  acted  on  our  own  judgment,  however, 
and  went,  and  are  benefited  rather  than  otherwise. 
The  trip  was  exceedingly  profitable.  We  confined 
our  visit  to  two  stations,  holding  special  services  each 
day — morning,  afternoon  and  night.  I  received  eight 
to  the  church.  At  one  station  a  new  church  was 
organized,  with  twenty-six  members,  a  branch  from 
the  older  station.  At  this  older  station  there  are 
many  inquirers,  and  the  work  is  in  a  very  hopeful 
condition,  very  largely  as  the  result  of  the  influence 
of  a  young  man,  an  undergraduate  of  the  college, 
who  has  been  there  teaching  a  day  school  for  three 
years. 

One  of  his  last  journeys  of  this  sort  was  made  not 
long  before  his  seventieth  birthday,  and  the  following 
is  his  record  concerning  it: 

From  Tengchow  we  came  overland  to  Wei  Hsien 
in  shentzas.  I  made  it  a  point  to  spend  the  Sabbath 
at  Lai  Chow  fu,  and  went  out  and  preached  morning 
and  afternoon  to  our  little  church  at  Ning  Kie,  which 
is  three  miles  from  the  city.  Dr.  Mills  and  I  were 
instrumental  in  founding  the  station  some  thirty-six 
years  ago.  It  has  grown  very  slowly.  Mrs.  Mateer 
had  visited  it  frequently  in  subsequent  years,  and  had 
taught  the  women,  and  there  are  now  a  goodly  pro- 
portion of  women  in  the  church.  In  the  earHer  years 
evangelists  were  sent  to  labor  in  the  region,  and  to 
preach  to  and  teach  the  people.  In  those  days  oppo- 
^  sition  to  the  gospel  was  very  great,  and  progress  was 


CARE  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  195 

very  slow.  In  later  years,  owing  to  change  of  policy, 
evangeKsts  were  not  sent,  save  on  an  occasional  visit, 
and  the  church  decUned,  though  it  still  Hved.  A  few 
years  ago  special  efforts  were  made,  and  the  church 
increased  somewhat,  and  finally  a  native  pastor  was 
settled  over  this  church,  in  connection  with  another 
about  fifteen  miles  away.  Before  the  expiration  of 
the  first  year  the  Boxer  uprising  brought  the  arrest 
and  beating  of  the  pastor  and  much  persecution  to  the 
church.  The  pastor  did  not  return.  The  church  was 
discouraged,  and  the  pastor  was  called  elsewhere. 
If  we  now  had  an  available  man,  he  could  be  located 
at  Lai  Chow  fu;  but  there  is  no  man. 

His  last  country  trip  was  made  some  time  in  De- 
cember, 1907.  This  is  the  record:  '^Two  weeks  ago 
I  went  down  on  the  railroad  to  Kiaochow  to  assist 
our  native  pastors  in  a  meeting  for  the  women.  There 
were  about  seventy  there  from  various  other  stations, 
besides  those  in  town.  The  meeting  was  most  inter- 
esting, and  must  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  It  was 
projected  and  managed  by  the  native  pastors  on 
their  own  account.  There  were  five  native  pastors 
present,  and  helping  in  the  meeting.  Many  women 
spoke  and  some  made  set  addresses."  There  were 
approximately  one  hundred  and  fifty  present,  many 
of  whom  walked  miles  to  be  there.  His  own  speech 
was  a  plea  to  the  mothers  to  consecrate  their  sons  to 
the  ministry,  and  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  as, 
while  making  it,  he  spoke  of  his  own  mother. 
,--  The  reader  needs  to  bear  in  mind  that  Dr.  Mateer 
\  did  not  operate  as  an  independent  individual,  but  as 


196        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

the  agent  of  a  thoroughly  organized  system,  in  con- 
formity with  the  government  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  regulations  of  the  Board  of  Missions. 
Of  these  agencies  there  is  one  that  Hes  wholly  outside 
the  constitutional  provisions  of  the  denomination,  but 
that  is  approved  as  a  part  of  the  machinery  needed 
for  the  foreign  field.  This  is  what  is  called  the  "mis- 
sion." Its  members  are  the  missionaries  sent  out 
by  the  Board  and  residing  near  enough  to  meet  to- 
gether for  the  transaction  of  business.  To  the  mis- 
sion belong  such  duties  as  to  locate  members  and 
appoint  their  work,  to  make  annual  estimates  of 
funds  and  reenforcements  needed,  to  receive  the  money 
from  the  Board,  and  to  apply  it,  according  to  direc- 
tions, general  or  specific.  Dr.  Mateer  had  much  to 
do  with  inaugurating  the  "executive  committees" 
now  so  widely  adopted  by  the  missions.  Many 
questions  affecting  the  operations  sustained  through 
the  Board,  of  necessity  came  before  the  annual 
mission  meeting  for  discussion  and  action.  Lines 
of  policy  as  to  conduct  of  the  work  out  in  the  field, 
if  involving  important  features,  are  left  for  decision 
to  the  Board;  but  full  and  frank  consideration  of 
them  by  the  members  of  the  missions,  either  when  in 
session  or  as  individuals,  is  usually  welcomed. 

An  important  discussion  in  which  Dr.  Nevius  and 
Dr.  Mateer  were  especially  conspicuous  arose  on  their 
field  over  a  theory  advanced  by  Dr.  Nevius  in  his 
"Methods  of  Missions."  It  was  no  personal  contro- 
versy, though,  of  course,  the  respective  personalities 


CARE  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  197 

of  two  such  strong,  positive,  earnest  men  inevitably 
tinged  it.     The  question  at  issue  mainly  concerned 
the  pecuniary  support  of  native  Christians  as  agents 
in  the  evangelization  of  their  own  people.     No  attempt 
need  here  be  made  to  state  with  fullness  the  positions 
taken   or    the   arguments   employed.    Broadly,   the 
poHcy  advocated  by  Dr.  Nevius  was  that  the  main 
work  of  evangelization  should  be  thrown  on  the  native 
Christians,  and  that  those  who  could  read  and  under- 
stand ''the  doctrine"  should  voluntarily  and  without 
compensation  instruct  those  who  could  not;    while 
the  foreign  missionaries,  paid  as  heretofore  by  the 
Board,  should  give  themselves  to  a  general  superin- 
tendence   and    to    periodical    examinations  of    the 
catechumens  and  scholars  taught  by  the  native  church 
members.     Dr.  Mateer  was  just  as  earnestly  as  Dr. 
Nevius  in  favor  of  utilizing  native  Christians  in  the 
evangelization  of  their  people,  and  was  just  as  eager 
to   develop   among   them   self-support,   but  he   was 
thoroughly  convinced  that  conditions  were  not  ripe 
in  China  for  the  radical  pohcy  of  withholding  from 
native  laborers,  as  a  rule,  all  pay  from  the  funds  of 
the  Board;    and  that  an  attempt  of  this  sort  before 
the   proper   time   would   result   in   serious   disaster. 
This  brief  statement  will  sufhce  to  show  that  it  was 
a  question  over  which  wise  and  good  men  might 
readily  differ,  and  that  the  fact  that  they  discussed  it 
earnestly  and  fully  is  a  sign  of  healthy  life.     It  seems 
to  me  to  be  a  problem  that  cannot  be  satisfactorily 
solved  by  theoretical  argument,  or  by  votes  in  a 


198        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

mission,  or  by  even  the  decision  of  a  board.  The 
only  crucial  test  is  actual  trial.  All  that  needs  to  be 
said  further  as  to  this  discussion  is,  on  the  one  hand, 
to  emphasize  the  fact  that  Dr.  Mateer,  in  his  care 
of  the  native  Christians  and  churches,  often  labored 
hard  and  long  to  bring  up  congregations,  in  the  sup- 
port of  their  pastors  and  evangeUsts,  to  the  measure 
of  giving  for  which  they  were  able;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  he  thought  he  saw  in  certain  fields  evidence 
of  the  bad  consequences  of  the  policy  he  controverted. 
Until  it  is  desirable  to  organize  the  churches  of  a 
given  foreign  missionary  field,  after  the  order  pre- 
scribed by  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government, 
the  mission  must  continue  in  the  entire  supervision; 
but  it  is  the  practice,  just  as  soon  as  the  way  is  open, 
to  set  up  presbyteries  and  synods,  and  to  commit  to 
them  those  matters  which  belong  to  their  jurisdiction. 
In  these  bodies  ruHng  elders,  as  the  official  lay  repre- 
sentatives of  the  native  churches,  and  all  the  native 
ordained  ministers  sit  as  the  equals  in  authority  with 
the  ordained  foreign  ministers.  The  Board,  unless  in 
exceptional  cases,  has  not  been  accustomed  to  turn 
over  to  them  the  administration  of  the  funds  forwarded 
for  use  on  the  field,  or  such  matters  as  concern  the 
policy  and  plans  it  adopts;  but  all  that  pertains  to 
the  organization  of  churches,  the  settlement  of  pas- 
tors, the  acceptance  of  candidates  for  the  ministry 
and  their  licensure  and  ordination,  and  the  administra- 
tion of  discipline  for  the  ministers,  with  complaints 
and  appeals  from  the  churches,  is  left  to  the  presby- 


CARE   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  199 

tery.  Of  course,  as  converts  and  churches  and  native 
ministers  increase,  the  tendency  is  to  put  them,  as 
the  majority,  in  control  in  these  bodies.  It  is  a  system 
which  opens  the  way  for  some  dangers ;  nevertheless 
it  is,  in  the  nature  of  the  situation,  the  only  course  to 
pursue,  and  unless  abused,  it  has  a  most  wholesome 
influence  on  the  native  Christians.  It  brings  home 
to  them  the  fact  that,  equally  with  the  foreigners  who 
have  given  them  the  gospel,  they  have  privileges  as 
^  members  of  the  church  of  Christ,  and  also  their 
^  responsibihty  as  such.  Dr.  Mateer  beheved  with  all 
his  heart  in  the  setting  up  of  these  regular  ecclesiastical 
bodies  so  soon  as  possible.  Late  in  November,  1865, 
he  was  one  of  the  Kttle  band  who  organized  the 
[Presbytery  of  Shantung,  at  a  meeting  held  at  Chefoo, 
when  as  yet  there  were  no  native  ministers  to  take 
part.  The  next  meeting  was  held  the  following 
October  at  Tengchow,  and  he  was  elected  moderator 
and  stated  clerk.  It  is  evident  that  if  a  presbytery 
is  to  be  of  any  considerable  value  to  a  native  member 
the  language  used  must  be  his  own,  not  that  of  the 
foreign  missionary.  With  this  understanding,  the 
following  from  Dr.  Mateer's  Journal  concerning  that 
meeting  can  be  better  appreciated:  ^'It  was  voted 
that  hereafter  all  the  proceedings  be  in  Chinese,  and 
at  it  we  went.  It  was  very  awkward  at  first,  making 
and  putting  motions,  but  after  some  practice  we  got 
along  better.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  meeting 
indeed.  One  of  the  chief  items  of  business  was  a 
call  presented  by  the  native  church  for  Mr.  Mills, 


200        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

which  he  accepted,  and  we  arranged  for  his  installa- 
tion." 

It  was  ten  years  before  such  progress  had  been  made 
out  in  the  province  that  it  was  practicable  to  hold  a 
presbytery  in  the  rural  regions.  In  a  letter  to  his 
mother,  dated  December  24,  1877,  Dr.  Mateer  said: 
''The  meeting  of  the  presbytery  in  the  country  marks 
an  era  in  our  progress  in  Shantung.  Many  of  the 
Christians  from  all  the  region  were  assembled,  and 
evidently  got  much  good  from  what  they  saw  and 
heard.  Our  presbytery  is  getting  to  be  an  important 
event,  and  a  power  among  the  native  churches.  Our 
desire  is  that  it  may  be  more  and  more  felt."  Some- 
times the  meetings  were  saddened  by  the  cases  of 
discipHne,  after  a  native  ministry  began  to  be  enrolled; 
but  if  the  case  demanded  it,  even  deposition  from  the 
sacred  ofHce  and  excommunication  from  the  church 
were  imposed,  and  the  native  elders  and  ministers 
were  sturdy  supporters  of  adequate  sentences.  In 
contrast  with  this  was  the  joy  of  receiving  candidates 
for  the  ministry,  and  sending  them  out  to  preach  the 
gospel  as  they  seemed  to  be  ready  for  that  work. 
Occasionally  a  man  up  in  years,  and  without  thorough 
education,  but  apparently  qualified  to  be  effective 
as  a  preacher,  is  authorized  by  the  presbytery  to 
*' exercise  his  gifts";  but  usually  those  who  offer 
themselves  are  young  men  who  after  long  courses  of 
study,  and  careful  examination,  are  sent  on  this  errand. 
For  instance,  in  his  report  for  1874  as  stated  clerk, 
Dr.  Mateer  said: 


CARE   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  201 

Considerable  time  was  taken  up  in  the  presbytery 
by  the  examination  of  candidates  for  the  ministry. 
These  were  thorough,  and  so  far  as  they  went  were 
sustained  with  great  credit.  One  candidate  was 
Hcensed  to  preach.  He  is  not  young,  as  Hcentiates 
usually  are,  being  about  sixty.  He  is,  however,  full 
of  zeal  for  God,  and  may  yet  do  good  service.  One 
of  our  hcentiates  was  ordained  as  an  evangehst.  This 
is  the  first  native  preacher  who  has  been  ordained 
by  this  presbytery.  It  marks  a  new  step  in  our  work, 
one  for  which  we  are  devoutly  thankful  to  God.  We 
have  no  more  important  work  to  do  than  to  raise 
up  well-qualified  natives  to  preach  the  gospel  to  their 
countrymen.  We  trust  this  one  will  soon  be  followed 
by  others. 

Dr.  Mateer  was  careful  to  treat  the  native  elders 
and  ministers  as  the  equals  of  the  foreign  missionaries, 
in  the  ecclesiastical  bodies  and  elsewhere;  and  as  a 
consequence  he  commanded  their  confidence,  so  that 
he  was  able  sometimes  to  render  important  services 
by  heahng  threatened  dissensions.  This,  as  might 
be  supposed,  was  especially  true  of  his  own  ''boys," 
who  had  as  students  learned  to  revere  both  his  judg- 
ment and  his  fraternal  spirit. 

In  writing  to  ''The  Presbyterian  Banner"  concern- 
ing the  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Shantung,  in 
September,  1869,  he  said:  "The  matter  of  the  forma- 
tion of  a  synod  in  China  was  discussed,  and  a  circular 
letter  was  prepared,  and  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the 
other  presbyteries  urging  the  propriety  of  such  a 
step  at  once.  It  is  now  twenty  years  since  the 
General  Assembly  took  action  looking  toward  and 


202        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

opening  the  way  for  the  formation  of  this  synod." 
That  body  held  its  first  meeting  at  Shanghai  in  Oc- 
tober of  the  following  year.  The  synod  in  the  Presby- 
terian system  is  the  next  higher  organization  above 
the  presbytery,  and  consists  of  all  the  ordained  minis- 
ters of  a  larger  district  already  containing  three  or 
more  presbyteries,  and  of  ruling  elders  representing 
the  churches;  or  it  may  be  constituted  from  delegates 
appointed  by  the  presbyteries  on  a  fixed  basis.  It 
has  the  right  to  review  all  presbyterial  action,  and 
also  has  authority  to  originate  measures  within  its 
constitutional  jurisdiction.  Among  the  missionaries 
\.  r^  in  China  at  that  time  there  was  a  considerable  num- 
ber  who  regarded  the  synod  as  a  sort  of  fifth  wheel 
to  the  coach,  and  as  not  likely  to  be  capable  of  render- 
ing a  service  worth  its  cost  in  money  and  time.  Under 
indirect  form  this  phase  of  the  subject  came  into 
warm  and  protracted  debate  in  that  first  meeting, 
and  may  be  said  to  have  been  fought  out  to  a  settle- 
ment. Dr.  Mateer  was  a  strong  believer  in  the  im- 
portance of  the  synod,  and  in  debate,  and  in  other 
ways,  he  threw  the  whole  weight  of  his  influence 
avowedly  on  that  side  of  the  issue,  and  helped  to  win. 
Other  problems  were  of  such  a  character  as  also  to 
arouse  his  interest  to  a  high  degree.  Ought  the 
language  used  in  the  body  to  be  limited  to  the  Man- 
darin or  ought  it  to  include  local  dialects?  On  this 
question,  of  course,  he  stood  for  the  Mandarin. 
Ought  a  theological  institution  to  be  established; 
and  if  so,  where?    As  to  this,  a  sort  of  compromise 


CARE   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  203 

was  effected,  and  an  appeal  was  sent  home  for  a 
share  in  the  "Memorial  Fund,"  to  establish  in  China 
one  or  more  such  schools,  but  leaving  location  to  be 
determined  later.  The  synod  consisted  of  twenty- 
four  members,  ten  of  them  being  foreign  missionaries, 
and  fourteen  native  pastors  and  elders.  The  pro- 
ceedings had  to  be  translated,  during  the  various 
sessions,  into  several  different  dialects,  in  order  to  be 
made  intelligible  to  all.  The  body  sat  for  ten  days, 
and  then  adjourned  to  assemble  the  next  year  at 
Ningpo.  It  was  in  connection  with  Dr.  Mateer's 
attendance  at  Shanghai  that  he  was  induced  to  take 
temporary  charge  of  the  mission  press. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  synod  was  held  at 
Ningpo.  Dr.  Mateer  was  chosen  moderator.  Writ- 
ing in  his  Journal  concerning  that  meeting,  he  said: 

The  great  difficulty  of  the  synod  was  the  language, 
and  this  was  indeed  no  small  embarrassment.  As  I 
was  moderator,  I  felt  it  more  than  any  other.  It  was 
all  I  could  do  to  tell  what  was  going  on  at  times.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  the  practice  I  had  through  the 
summer  in  Shanghai,  I  should  have  been  quite  lost. 
The  most  interesting  discussion  we  had  was  on  the 
qualifications  of  candidates  for  the  ministry.  The 
native  members  insisted  that  they  must  learn  Eng- 
lish, and  the  foreign  members  opposed.  The  native 
,__brethren  finally  carried  their  point.  The  discussion 
at  some  points  of  its  progress  was  really  exciting,  and 
not  a  little  amusing. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  at  Chefoo,  and  as  the 
retiring  moderator  he  preached  the  opening  sermon. 


204        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

In  his  Journal  he  says:  '^I  had  prepared  the  sermon 
quite  carefully,  having  written  it  all  out,  and  so  had 
to  read  it.  It  is  the  only  sermon  I  ever  wrote  out 
fully  in  Chinese.  I  found  reading  a  Chinese  sermon 
very  awkward  and  embarrassing."  A  committee  of 
which  he  was  a  member  had  been  appointed  by  the 
preceding  meeting  at  Ningpo  to  prepare  for  deliber- 
ative bodies  a  compendium  of  technical  terms, — for 
the  lack  of  which  in  Chinese  they  had  been  seriously 
hindered, — and  also  to  formulate  rules  of  order.  They 
made  a  report  which  was  approved,  and  authorized  for 
use  in  the  synod  and  in  the  presbyteries. 

One  other  excerpt  from  the  records  of  his  pen  must 
conclude  the  story  of  his  work  in  the  synod,  though  it 
was  continued  down  through  his  subsequent  years. 
He  said: 

Delegates,  officially  deputed,  were  present  from  the 
mission  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  South;  also  from 
the  mission  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Scotland;  and  from  the  independent  Presbytery  of 
Amoy,  composed  of  the  missions  of  the  American 
Dutch  Reformed  and  the  Enghsh  Presbyterian 
Churches  combined.  They  all  expressed  a  desire 
for  mutual  cooperation,  and  for  the  ultimate  union 
of  all  the  Presbyterians  in  China  into  one  Chinese 
Presbyterian  Church.  A  committee  was  appointed 
to  correspond  with  the  various  Presbyterian  bodies 
or  missions  in  China,  and  prepare  the  way  for  an  ulti- 
mate union.  This  union  may  not  be  accomplished 
for  many  years,  but  that  it  should  come  as  soon  as 
practicable  seems  to  be  the  almost  unanimous  opinion 
of  all  concerned. 


CARE   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS  205 

In  1907  one  long  advance  was  made  toward  the 
realization  of  the  desire  so  earnestly  expressed  by  that 
synod  a  third  of  a  century  before.  After  preliminary 
consultations  extending  over  a  number  of  years, 
representatives  of  eight  distinct  missions,  operated 
by  as  many  different  Presbyterian  denominations 
of  Europe  and  America,  met  together,  and  constituted 
*'The  Presbyterian  Church  of  China,"  and  also  offered 
a  welcome  to  any  other  Chinese  churches  of  like  faith 
and  practice  to  unite  with  them.  Dr.  Mateer  thought 
that  on  account  of  the  size  of  China  and  the  conse- 
quent expense  of  travel  and  variety  of  speech,  it 
would  be  better  to  make  two  ecclesiastical  bodies 
out  of  this  material.  Belonging  to  the  new  organiza- 
tion, there  were,  besides  the  foreign  missionaries, 
about  a  hundred  native  ministers,  and  forty  thousand 
communicants.  Dr.  Mateer  was  not  a  member  of 
the  body  which  met  to  declare  and  organize  this 
union;  but,  being  present,  he  was  invited  to  sit  as 
a  corresponding  member.  Under  the  regulations  of 
his  American  denomination,  the  names  of  ordained 
foreign  missionaries  entering  such  new  churches  on 
the  foreign  field  as  that  just  mentioned  are  enrolled 
in  the  minutes  of  the  home  General  Assembly  on  a 
separate  list;  and  these  ministers  are  entitled  to  be 
received  by  the  presbyteries  without  the  examina- 
tion required  of  those  who  come  from  other  denomina- 
tions in  foreign  countries.  This  was  the  ecclesias- 
tical status  of  Dr.  Mateer  when  he  died.    He  was  a 


206        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  China;  but  he 
was  still  enrolled  by  the  church  of  his  fathers. 

The  highest  of  all  the  organizations  within  the 
Presbyterian  system  is  the  General  Assembly.  Its 
supervision,  within  constitutional  Hmits,  extends  over 
synods,  presbyteries,  and  individual  ministers  and 
churches,  and  it  has  other  distinct  functions  pertaining 
to  the  entire  denomination  throughout  the  world. 
Dr.  Mateer  was  a  commissioner  from  his  presbytery 
in  China  to  the  Assembly  which  met  in  1880  in  New 
York;  and  again  to  the  Assembly  which  met  in  Los 
Angeles  in  1903.  In  this  last  he  was  nominated  for 
moderator,  but  failed  of  election,  for  reasons  not  in 
any  way  disparaging  to  him.  It  is  well  understood 
that  an  election  to  that  office  is  contingent  on  so  many 
incidental  things  that  the  choice  can  seldom  be  fore- 
seen. Local  influences  at  Los  Angeles  were  strongly 
thrown  in  favor  of  the  successful  candidate,  meaning 
by  these  the  representation  in  the  Assembly  and  the 
Presbyterian  visitors  from  all  the  Rocky  Mountain 
country  and  from  the  Pacific  coast.  Besides,  to 
many  of  the  commissioners  Dr.  Mateer  was  a  man  but 
slightly  known.  His  work  had  been  great,  but  it 
had  also  been  quiet.  Nor  when  on  his  furloughs  had 
he  in  speaking  to  the  churches  won  renown  by  bursts 
of  missionary  eloquence.  He  made  a  very  creditable 
run  for  the  moderatorship,  and  was  beaten  by  a  man 
of  high  standing  in  the  church.  He  was  appointed 
chairman  of  the  Judicial  Committee. 


XI 

THE  SHANTUNG  COLLEGE 

"While  I  live  I  cannot  cease  to  have  a  vital  interest  in  the 
college.  ...  I  cannot  bear  to  be  wholly  away  from  the 
college  to  which  my  Ufe  has  been  given." — letter  to  secre- 
tary BROWN,  April  lo,  1907. 

THE  change  of  the  name  of  the  school  which 
Dr.  Mateer  had  founded  and  nurtured  for 
nearly  two  decades  was  made  at  the  formal 
request  of  the  members  of  the  Shantung  Presbyterian 
Mission,  sent  to  the  Board  under  date  of  February 
14,  188 1.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  "plan,"  and 
that  part  of  the  paper  was  as  follows: 

I.  That  the  Tengchow  Boys'  High  School  be  or- 
ganized into  and  constituted  a  college,  to  be  called 
"The  College  of  Shantung." 

II.  That  it  be  carried  on  and  governed  by  a  board 
of  six  trustees  nominated  by  the  Shantung  Mission, 
and  confirmed  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 

III.  That  the  college  embrace  a  six  years'  course 
of  study  in  Chinese  classics,  general  science,  and 
Christian  ethics;  including  particularly  "The  Four 
Books"  and  "Five  Classics,"  Chinese  history,  with 
Biblical  and  general  history,  mathematics,  physical, 
mental  and  moral  sciences,  evidences  of  Christianity, 
and  so  forth. 

IV.  That  the  aim  of  the  college  be  to  educate  thor- 
oughly both  in  Chinese  and  western  learning;    and 

207 


208        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

to  do  this  from  the  standpoint  and  under  the  in- 
fluence of  Christianity. 

V.  That  the  Chinese  language  be  the  medium  of 
instruction  throughout  the  course,  English  being 
taught  only  as  an  extra  in  special  cases. 

VI.  That  there  be  connected  with  the  college  a 
department  to  prepare  pupils  to  enter  it. 

VII.  That  it  be  the  ultimate  design  to  make  the 
students  attending  the  college  self-supporting;  and 
that  in  order  to  do  this  the  style  of  Hving  be  strictly 
on  the  Chinese  plane;  and  that  natives  be  trained  as 
fast  as  possible  to  man  the  college  with  efficient 
professors. 

VIII.  That  the  college  be  located  for  the  present 
at  Tengchow,  leaving  open  the  question  of  its  removal 
to  a  more  central  position  at  some  future  time. 

For  this  request  the  main  reasons  were  added 
in  extenso.  They  are  too  long  to  be  given  here;  but 
they  can  be,  in  the  main,  compressed  into  two  general 
statements.  One  of  these  was  the  need  of  a  high- 
grade  institution  of  this  sort  in  northern  China,  and 
especially  in  the  great  province  of  Shantung.  It 
was  conceded  that  Tengchow  was  not  as  central  a 
location  as  the  college  might  ultimately  require; 
but,  being  a  literary  city  and  a  treaty  port,  and  as 
yet  free  from  the  special  temptations  and  corrupting 
influences  of  a  mixed  foreign  population,  it  at  least 
temporarily  had  marked  advantages.  The  other 
general  statement  is  that  the  institution  was  already 
in  fact  a  college  by  reason  of  its  curriculum,  and  was 
equipped  with  buildings  and  outfit  suitable  for  the 
advanced  work  which  a  college  ought  to  do.    In  order 


THE  SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       209 

that  it  might  retain  the  position  it  had  won,  and  in 
order  to  secure  endowment  and  reputation,  the  new 
name  was  very  desirable. 

In  a  letter  dated  April  4,  1885,  the  mission  appealed 
to  the  Board  for  a  new  house  to  be  built  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  chief  foreign  assistant  in  the 
college,  and  incidentally  gave  a  statement  as  to  the 
plant.    They  said:    ''At  a  remarkably  small  cost  to 
the  Board  it  has  come  into  possession  of  plain  but 
extensive  premises,  which  are  very  well  adapted  to 
the  purpose.     With  the  small  additions  and  changes 
proposed   for    the   current  year   it  will   have  good 
boarding  and  dormitory  accommodations  for  eighty 
or  ninety  pupils,  with  roomy  yards  and  courts.     It 
has   also    two    large    schoolrooms,   three    recitation 
rooms,  one  large  lecture  room,  a  philosophical  ap- 
paratus  room,  a   chemical   apparatus  room  with  a 
shop    and    storeroom.      It    has    also    a    substantial 
stone  observatory,   costing  one  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars."     In  1894,  a  grant  for  new  buildings  having 
been  made  by  the  Board,  steps  looking  to  their  erec- 
tion were  taken.     Writing  of  these,  March  23,  1895, 
Dr.  Mateer  said,  ''We  staked  off  the  ground  to-day, 
and  will  make  a  start  at  once."     That  year,  however, 
on  account  of  his  duties  on  the  committee  for  the 
revision  of  the  Mandarin  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, he  laid  down  the  presidency  of  the  college, 
though  he  did  not  cease  to  assist  in  the  instruction 
and  in  the  management  of  it.     February  8,  1896, 
he  wrote  to  the  Board:  "The  headship  of  the  college 
14 


210        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

is  now  in  Mr.  Hayes's  hands,  and  with  it  the  major 
part  of  the  work.  I  am  especially  thankful  that  the 
interests  of  the  college  are  in  the  hands  of  a  capable 
man;  nevertheless,  when  I  am  in  Tengchow  a  con- 
siderable share  of  the  general  responsibiUty  still 
clings  to  me,  and  no  inconsiderable  share  of  the  work, 
and  Mrs.  Mateer's  share  is  in  nowise  decreased. 
Our  new  buildings  are  finished,  and  are  an  unspeak- 
able convenience.  The  wonder  is  how  we  did  without 
them  so  long.  They  have  served  to  raise  our  college 
in  the  estimate  of  the  people  of  the  whole  city." 
These  new  buildings  consisted  of  a  main  edifice  of 
two  stories,  dormitories,  and  chemical  laboratory. 
The  old  temple  structure  was  converted  into  a  chapel 
and  various  alterations  were  nade  as  to  uses  of  the 
smaller  houses.  The  original  estimate  of  the  outlay 
was  eight  thousand  dollars.  Whether  this  sum  was 
sufficient  is  not  stated  in  any  of  the  records  that  have 
come  into  my  hands;  but  inasmuch  as  nothing  is 
said  about  a  deficit,  it  is  probable  that  there  was 
none,  except  such  as  Dr.  Mateer  and  others  on  the 
ground  met  out  of  their  own  pockets.  The  new 
buildings  were  suppKed  with  steam  heat  and  electric 
light  from  a  house  specially  fitted  for  the  purpose, 
v/ith  a  tall  chimney  that  seemed  as  if  a  landmark  for 
all  the  region;  and  some  other  additions  were  sub- 
sequently made  by  means  of  special  contributions. 
Taken  altogether,  the  plant,  into  the  possession  of 
which  the  Tengchow  College  eventually  came,  though 
consisting  largely  of  houses  that  were  externally  with- 


THE   SHANTUNG  COLLEGE       211 

out  architectural  pretension,  and  in  part  of  the  Chinese 
order  and  somewhat  inadequate,  was  extensive  enough 
to  indicate  the  magnitude  of  the  work  the  institution 
was  doing. 

One  of  the  things  on  which  the  members  of  the 
mission  laid  stress  in  their  request  for  the  elevation 
of  the  school  to  the  rank  and  title  of  a  college  was 
that  it  already  had  "a  good  collection  of  philosophi- 
cal and  chemical  apparatus,  beHeved  to  be  the  largest 
and  best-assorted  collection  in  Chma."     Dr.  Mateer 
also   was   accustomed    to    speak   of    this   apparatus 
with  a  pride  that  was  an  expression,  not  of  vanity, 
but  of  satisfaction  in  a  personal  achievement,  that 
was   eminently  worth   while.     For   instance,   in   his 
letter   to   his   college   classmates   in    1897,   he   said: 
"I  have  given  some  time  and  considerable  thought 
and  money  to  the  making  of  philosophical  apparatus. 
I  had  a  natural  taste  in  this  direction,  and  I  saw 
that  in  China  the  thing  to  push  in  education  was 
physical  science.     We  now  have  as  good  'an  outfit 
of  apparatus  as  the  average  college  in  the  United 
States, — more  than  twice  as  much  as  Jefferson  had 
when  we  graduated;    two- thirds  of  it  made  on  the 
groimd  at  my  own  expense."     It  was  a  slow,  long 
job  to  produce  it.     Early  in  his  career  as  a  teacher 
in  the  Tengchow  school  he  had  little  need  of  apparatus 
because  the  pupils  were  not  of  a  grade  to  receive 
instruction  in  physics;    but  it  was  not   very  long 
until  he  recorded  his  difficulty,  for  instance,  in  teach- 
ing pneumatics  without  an  air  pump.     Some  of  his 


212        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

instruction  at  that  general  period  was  given  to  a 
class  of  students  for  the  ministry.  He  was  always 
careful  to  let  it  be  known  that  his  school  was  in 
no  degree  a  theological  seminary;  he  held  it  to  be 
vital  to  have  it  understood  that  it  was  an  institution 
for  what  we  would  call  secular  instruction,  though 
saturated  through  and  through  with  Christianity. 
But  again  and  again  throughout  his  life  he  took  his 
share  in  teaching  native  candidates  for  the  ministry; 
and  before  the  college  proper  afforded  them  oppor- 
tunity to  study  western  science  he  was  accustomed 
to  initiate  these  young  men  into  enough  knowledge 
of  the  workings  of  nature  to  fit  them  to  be  better 
leaders  among  their  own  people.  Thus,  writing  in 
his  Journal,  February,  1874,  concerning  his  work  with 
the  theological  class  that  winter,  he  said: 

I  heard  them  a  lesson  every  day, — one  day  in 
philosophy  [physics]  and  the  next  in  chemistry.  I 
went  thus  over  optics  and  mechanics,  and  reviewed 
electricity,  and  went  through  the  volume  on  chemistry. 
I  practically  gave  all  my  time  to  the  business  of 
teaching  and  experimenting,  and  getting  apparatus. 
I  had  carpenters  and  tinners  at  work  a  good  part  of 
the  time.  I  got  up  most  of  the  things  needed  for 
illustrating  mechanics,  and  a  number  in  optics; 
also  completed  my  set  of  fixtures  for  frictional  elec- 
tricity, and  added  a  good  number  of  articles  to  my 
set  of  galvanic  apparatus.  With  my  new  battery 
I  showed  the  electrical  light  and  the  deflagration  of 
metals  very  well.  The  Ruhmkorff  coil  performed 
very  well  indeed,  and  made  a  fine  display.  I  had 
an  exhibition  of  two  nights  with  the  magic  lantern, 


THE   SHANTUNG  COLLEGE       213 

using  the  oxyhydrogen  light.  In  chemistry  I  made  all 
the  gases  and  more  than  are  described  in  the  book, 
and  experimented  on  them  fully.  They  gave  me 
no  small  amount  of  trouble,  but  I  succeeded  with 
them  all  very  well.  I  made  both  Hght  and  heavy 
carbureted  hydrogen,  and  experimented  with  them. 
Then  I  made  coal  gas  enough  to  Hght  up  the  room 
through  the  whole  evening.  Altogether  I  have  made 
for  the  students  a  fuller  course  of  experiments  in 
philosophy  or  chemistry  than  I  saw  myself.  They 
studied  well  and  appreciated  very  much  what  they 
saw.  I  trust  the  issue  will  prove  that  my  time 
has  not  been  misspent.  I  have  learned  a  great 
deal  myself,  especially  in  the  practical  part  of  ex- 
periment-making. It  may  be  that  I  may  yet  have 
occasion  to  turn  this  knowledge  to  good  account. 
I  have  also  gathered  in  all  a  very  good  set  of  appara- 
tus, which  I  shall  try  to  make  further  use  of. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  the  collection  was  begun. 
As  he  added  to  it  in  succeeding  years,  every  piece 
had  a  history  that  lent  it  an  individual  interest. 
Much  of  it  continued  to  be  produced  by  his  own 
hand,  or  at  least  imder  his  own  superintendence, 
and  at  the  expense  of  himself,  or  of  his  friends,  who 
at  his  solicitation  contributed  money  for  this  use. 
Some  of  the  larger  and  more  costly  articles  were 
donated  by  people  to  whom  he  appealed  for  help, 
and  therefore  peculiar  personal  associations  clustered 
about  them.  For  instance,  when  home  on  his  first  fur- 
lough, he  met  Cyrus  W.  Field,  on  a  voyage  to  Europe, 
and  interested  him  in  the  Tengchow  School.  After 
reaching  China  again,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Field 


214        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

and  soKcited  from  him  the  gift  of  a  d3aiamo.  In 
the  course  of  some  months  a  favorable  response  was 
received;  and,  eventually,  that  dynamo  rendered 
most  valuable  service  in  Kghting  the  buildings.  Two 
friends,  whose  acquaintance  he  had  made  in  the 
United  States, — Mr.  Stuart,  of  New  York,  and  Mrs. 
Baird,  of  Philadelphia, — gave  him  money  to  buy  a 
ten-inch  reflecting  telescope,  with  proper  mountings 
and  accompaniments;  and  when,  as  so  often  happens 
in  such  matters,  there  was  a  considerable  deficit, 
his  "Uncle  John"  came  to  the  relief.  In  ordering 
through  an  acquaintance  a  set  of  telegraph  instru- 
ments he  explained  that  the  Board  was  not  furnish- 
ing the  means  to  pay  for  it,  but  that  it  was  pur- 
chased with  his  own  money,  supplemented  by  the 
gifts  of  certain  friends  of  missions  and  education. 

This  must  sufiice  as  to  the  history  of  that  collection 
of  apparatus.  It  is,  however,  enough  to  show  why 
he  had  so  much  pride  in  it. 

It  was  in  1895  that  he  laid  down  the  headship 
of  the  college.  He  took  this  step  all  the  more  readily 
because  in  his  successor,  Rev.  W.  M.  Hayes, 
now  of  Tsingchow  fu,  he  had  entire  confidence  as 
to  both  character  and  ability.  On  his  arrival  in 
China  Mr.  Hayes  was  immediately  associated  with 
Dr.  Mateer  in  the  school,  and  showed  himself  to  be 
a  thoroughly  kindred  spirit.  He  continued  at  the 
head  of  the  college  until  1901,  when  he  resigned 
his  position  in  order  to  start  for  the  governor  of  the 
province  a  new  college  at  Tsinan  fu.     It   may  not 


THE  SHANTUNG  COLLEGE       215 

be  out  of  place  to  add  here  that  the  governor  at  that 
time  was  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  a  man  of  large  and 
liberal  views,  and  that  there  was,  as  to  the  new  college 
he  was  founding,  in  the  requirements  nothing  that 
made  it  improper  for  a  Christian  and  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  to  be  at  the  head  of  it.  It  is  due  to 
Mr.  Hayes  to  say  that  in  accepting  this  position 
he  was  confident  that  he  had  the  approval  of  nearly 
all  the  missionaries  associated  with  him.  However, 
it  was  not  very  long  until  Yuan  was  transferred  to 
the  viceroyalty  of  the  province  of  Chi-K,  which 
dominates  Peking,  and  a  successor  took  his  place 
in  Shantung,  who  was  of  a  different  mind,  and  who 
introduced  such  usages  into  the  new  institution  that 
Mr.  Hayes  felt  conscientiously  bound  to  lay  down 
his  office.  He  is  now  one  of  the  instructors  in  the 
theological  department  of  the  Shantung  Christian 
University,  into  which  the  college  at  Tengchow  has 
been  merged. 

In  the  request  of  the  members  of  the  mission  for 
the  elevation  of  the  Tengchow  school  to  the  rank 
and  title  of  a  college  one  of  the  articles  specifically 
left  the  ultimate  location  of  the  institution  an  open 
question.  The  main  objection  to  Tengchow  was 
its  isolation.  It  is  away  up  on  the  coast  of  the 
peninsula  that  constitutes  the  eastern  end  of  the 
province,  and  it  is  cut  off  from  the  interior  by  a 
range  of  rather  rugged  hills  in  the  rear.  Though  a 
treaty  port,  its  commerce  by  sea  has  long  been  in- 
considerable, and  gives  no  promise  of  increase.    At 


216        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

the  time  when  that  request  was  made,  it  is  Hkely 
that   some,    though   signing,    would   have   preferred 
that  the  college  should  be  removed  down  to  Chefoo. 
To  any  project  of  that  sort  Dr.  Mateer  was  inflexibly, 
and  with  good  reason,  opposed;  and  it  never  assumed 
such  strength  as  to  give  him  much  apprehension. 
Along  in  the  later  ''eighties"  and  in  the  early  ''nine- 
ties" the  question  of  location  again  arose  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Anglo-Chinese  college  which  Dr.  A. 
P.  Happer,  of  the  Presbyterian  missions  in  China, 
undertook  to  found.     He  progressed  so  far  as  to  raise 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  for  endowment  and  had 
a  board  appointed  for  the  control.     The  project  at 
no  stage  received  the  hearty  support  of  Dr.  Mateer, 
though,  of  course,  so  long  as  it  did  not  threaten  hurt 
to  his  own  college  or  the  ideas  which  it  represented 
he  did  not  make  any  fight  against  it.     Dr.  Happer 
had  long  been  a  missionary  in  southern  China,  and 
was  beyond  question  earnestly  devoted  to  his  work; 
his  idea  was  that  by  means  of  the  Anglo-Chinese 
college  he  would  raise  up  an  efficient  native  ministry 
for   the   churches.     The   conviction   of   Dr.    Mateer 
was  that,  so  far  as  this  result  is  concerned,  the  in- 
stitution, by  the  very  nature  of  the  plan,  must  be 
a  comparative  failure.     English  was  to  be  given  a 
large  place  in  the  curriculum,  and  for  students  it 
was  to  draw  especially  on  such  as  could  pay  their 
own  way.     In  a  long  letter  dated  March  i8,  1887, 
called  out  by  the  question  of  the  location  of  the 
proposed   college,   and   signed   by  Dr.    Mateer   and 


THE  SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       217 

Mr.  Hayes,  they  frankly  expressed  to  one  of  the 
secretaries  of  the  Board  their  reasons  for  beUeving  so 
strongly  that  an  institution  conducted  on  the  plan 
proposed  could  not  realize  the  main  object  which 
its  founder  sought.  They  had  found  it  necessary 
years  before,  in  the  Tengchow  College,  to  meet  the 
question  as  to  the  introduction  of  English,  and  the 
decision  was  in  favor  of  using  Chinese  alone  in  the 
curriculum ;  and  so  long  as  the  school  remained  in  charge 
of  Mateer  and  Hayes,  they  rigidly  excluded  their  own 
native  tongue.  When  the  Tengchow  school  was 
just  emerging  into  the  Tengchow  College,  Dr.  Mateer 
thus  expressed  his  convictions  on  that  subject: 

If  we  should  teach  English,  and  on  this  account 
seek  the  patronage  of  the  ofl&cers  and  the  rich,  no 
doubt  we  could  get  some  help  and  countenance.  We 
would  be  compelled,  however,  to  give  up  in  good 
measure  the  distinctively  religious  character  of  the 
school.  We  would  get  a  different  class  of  pupils, 
and  the  religious  tone  of  the  school  would  soon  be 
changed  in  spite  of  us.  Another  result  would  also 
be  almost  inevitable,  namely,  the  standard  of  Chinese 
scholarship  would  fall.  The  study  of  English  is 
fatal  to  high  acquisition  in  the  Chinese  classics.  We 
would  doubtless  have  great  trouble  in  keeping  our 
pupils  after  they  were  able  to  talk  English;  they 
would  at  once  go  seeking  employment  where  their 
English  would  bring  them  good  wages.  Tengchow, 
moreover,  is  not  a  port  of  foreign  residents,  but 
rather  an  isolated  and  inland  city,  and  it  would  not 
be  a  good  place  to  locate  a  school  in  which  teaching 
English  is  made  a  prominent  feature. 


218        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

His  observation  since  had  served  to  confirm  him 
in  the  conviction  of  years  before,  and  in  the  letter  to 
a  secretary  of  the  Board,  Hayes  united  with  him 
in  stating  clearly  and  forcibly  their  joint  opinion  on 
the  subject. 

In  casting  about  for  a  location  for  the  Anglo- 
Chinese  college,  the  choice  narrowed  down  so  that 
it  lay  between  Canton,  Nanking,  Shanghai,  and 
Tientsin.  Chefoo  was  mentioned,  but  not  seriously 
considered,  yet  even  the  possibihty  of  location  there, 
although  remote,  was  so  important  a  matter  to  the 
Shantung  College  that  it  compelled  the  men  at  the 
head  of  that  institution  to  be  on  the  alert  so  long 
as  the  question  was  undetermined.  By  and  by  Dr. 
Happer  became  disposed  to  turn  over  the  manage- 
ment of  his  projected  college  to  some  other  person, 
and  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Mateer,  sounding  him  as  to  the 
vacancy,  should  it  occur.  The  scheme  at  that  time 
seemed  to  be  to  locate  the  new  institution  at  Shang- 
hai, and  to  unite  with  it  the  Shantung  College;  and 
in  a  long  letter  in  response,  written  January  9,  1890, 
Dr.  Mateer  went  very  candidly  over  the  entire  sit- 
uation.   Among  other  things  he  said : 

It  will  be  necessary,  however,  to  settle  the  policy  of 
the  college,  and  also  its  headship,  before  making 
any  definite  move.  Whoever  undertakes  to  make 
English  and  self-support  prominent  features,  and 
then  aims  at  a  Christian  college,  has,  as  things  are 
at  present  in  China,  a  difficult  contract  on  his  hands. 
I  for  one  do  not  feel  called  to  embark  in  such  an  enter- 


THE  SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       219 

prise,  and  my  name  may  as  well  be  counted  out.  .  . 
Nor  can  the  school  at  Tengchow  be  moved  away  from 
Shantung.  We  might  go,  and  the  apparatus  might 
be  moved;  but  not  the  pupils.  It  is  futile  to  talk 
of  them  or  any  considerable  number  of  them  coming 
to  Shanghai;  nor  will  pupils  go  from  central  China 
north  to  be  educated  save  in  exceptional  cases. 
The  distance  and  the  expense  are  both  too  great. 
Each  section  of  China  must  have  its  own  schools. 

Not  long  afterward  the  situation  was  such  that 
Dr.  Mateer  and  Mr.  Hayes  addressed  to  the  trustees 
of  the  endowment  a  paper  in  which  a  suggestion 
was  made  that  under  certain  conditions  the  fund 
raised  by  Dr.  Happer  should  be  turned  over  to  the 
Shantung  College.  In  that  paper  there  was  a  frank 
statement  of  their  attitude  as  to  English.  They  were 
entirely  willing  to  introduce  that  language,  but 
only  under  such  conditions  that  it  could  not  seriously 
alter  the  character  and  work  of  the  institution. 
The  paper  is  too  long  for  introduction  here.  It 
will  suffice  to  quote  from  a  letter  sent  by  Dr.  Mateer 
at  the  same  time  to  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the 
Board,  and  dated  February  9,  1891 : 

There  are  one  or  two  things  I  want  to  say  in  a 
less  formal  way.  One  is  that  in  case  our  proposition 
in  regard  to  English  is  not  satisfactory,  you  will 
take  care  that  the  proposed  school  is  not  located  in 
Chef 00  as  a  rival  of  the  college  in  Tengchow.  It 
would  be  nothing  short  of  suicidal  for  the  Board  to 
allow  such  a  proceeding,  and  would  be  a  great  wrong, 
both  to  myself  and  to  Mr.  Hayes.     We  do  not  propose 


220        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

to  engage  in  such  a  contest,  but  would  at  once  resign, 
and  seek  some  other  sphere  of  labor.  Again,  I  wish 
to  call  your  attention  to  what  is  the  real  inwardness 
of  our  plan  for  English;  namely,  to  teach  it  in  such 
a  way,  and  to  such  parties  only,  as  will  insure  its 
being  used  in  hterary  and  scientific  lines.  We  will 
not  teach  English  merely  to  anyone,  nor  teach  it 
to  anyone  who  wants  merely  EngHsh.  We  will 
teach  it  to  men,  not  to  boys.  Lastly,  Mr.  Hayes 
and  I  have  for  several  years  had  in  mind  the  idea  of 
a  post-graduate  course  in  applied  science,  and  have 
been  waiting  for  my  visit  home  to  push  it  forward; 
and  even  if  the  present  endowment  scheme  fails,  we 
will  still  feel  like  pushing  it,  and  introducing  some 
English  as  already  indicated. 

Nothing  came  of  the  suggestion  that  the  money 
should  be  turned  over  to  the  Shantung  institution. 

Dr.  Mateer  still  continued  to  help  in  the  college 
at  Tengchow,  as  he  had  time  and  opportunity.  Early 
in  the  ''nineties,"  and  after  the  movement  just  con- 
sidered had  failed  to  materialize,  he  solicited  from 
the  Board  the  privilege  of  seeking  to  raise  an  en- 
dowment fund,  but  at  that  time  he  was  unable  to 
secure  their  consent.  At  the  beginning  of  1900 
the  Board  changed  their  attitude,  and  authorized 
an  effort  to  be  made  to  secure  contributions  for  this 
purpose.  Of  course,  in  order  to  be  successful  in 
this  undertaking,  a  satisfactory  plan  for  the  control 
of  the  college  was  a  necessity;  and  as  to  this  Dr. 
Mateer  was  consulted,  and  he  gave  his  opinions 
freely.     His  preference  was  expressed  for  a  charter 


THE  SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       221 

giving  the  endowment  a  separate  legal  status,  but 
providing  that  the  members  of  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  acting  in  this  distinct  capacity,  should 
be  the  trustees.  The  general  oversight  of  the  insti- 
tution he  thought  should  be  assigned  to  a  "Field 
Board  of  Directors,"  composed  of  members  of  the 
Shantung  Mission.  This  was  not  a  scheme  that 
entirely  satisfied  him.  The  specter,  on  the  one 
hand,  of  a  diversion  of  the  college  into  a  school  for 
teaching  English,  and,  on  the  other,  of  making  it 
a  theological  seminary,  would  not  altogether  down; 
but  in  the  ultimate  appeal  to  the  members  of  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  he  recognized  a  safeguard 
that  was  not  likely  to  prove  inadequate.  When  he 
was  on  furlough  in  1903,  he  spent  a  considerable 
part  of  his  time  in  soliciting  permanent  funds  for 
the  college,  then  already  removed  to  its  present 
location;  but  he  was  unable  to  secure  much  aid. 
Ada  was  with  him;  and  she  says  of  his  experience 
in  this  work,  "He  was  so  accustomed  to  success 
in  whatever  he  undertook  that  it  was  hard  for  him 
to  bear  the  indifference  of  the  rich  to  what  seemed 
to  him  so  important." 

The  transfer  of  the  college  to  another  location  was 
a  question  that  would  not  permanently  rest.  So 
long  as  it  was  whether  it  should  go  from  Tengchow 
to  Chefoo,  or  be  swallowed  up  in  another  more  pre- 
tentious institution  at  Shanghai,  and  not  yet  in 
existence,  it  was  comparatively  easy  to  silence  the 
guns   of   those   who   talked   removal.    But   at    the 


222        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

opening  of  the  twentieth  century,  even  out  there  in 
north  China,  important  changes  indirectly  affecting 
this  problem  had  occurred.  The  missions  had  been 
strengthened  by  a  number  of  new  men,  who  came 
fresh  from  the  rush  of  affairs  in  the  United  States, 
and  eager  to  put  their  force  into  the  work  in  China  in 
such  a  way  that  it  would  tell  the  most.  Even  China 
itself  was  beginning  to  awake  from  the  torpor  of 
ages.  In  Shantung  the  Germans  were  building  rail- 
roads, one  of  them  right  through  the  heart  of  the 
province,  on  by  way  of  Wei  Hsien  to  the  capital, 
and  from  that  point  to  be  afterward  connected 
with  Tientsin  and  Peking.  It  is  not  strange  that, 
under  the  new  conditions,  the  young  members  of 
the  mission  especially  should  desire  to  place  the  college 
which  loomed  up  so  largely  and  effectually  in  the 
work  to  which  they  had  consecrated  their  lives  where 
it  could  be  in  closer  touch  with  the  swarming  millions 
of  the  land  and  with  the  movements  of  the  new 
times.  February  26,  1901,  Dr.  Mateer  wrote  to 
the  Board: 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Shantung  Mission  it  was  voted 
to  remove  the  Tengchow  College  to  Wei  Hsien,  and 
then  give  up  the  Tengchow  station.  Being  at 
Shanghai,  engaged  in  the  translation  work,  I  was 
not  able  to  be  present  at  the  mission  meeting,  and 
it  seems  incumbent  on  me  to  say  something  on  a 
matter  of  so  much  importance,  and  that  concerns 

me  so  much First,  with  reference  to  the 

college.  The  major  part  of  my  life  has  been  given  to 
building  up  the  Tengchow  College,  and,  of  course, 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       223 

I  feel  a  deep  interest  in  its  future.     As  you  can  easily 
imagine,  I  am  naturally  loath  to  see  it  moved  from 
the  place  where  Providence  placed  it;   and  to  see  all 
the  toil  and  thought  given  to  fitting  up  the  buildings, 
with  heating,  Hghting,  and  the  other  appliances  go 
for  nothing;  as  also  the  loss  of  the  very  considerable 
sums  of  money  I  have  myself  mvested  in  it.     The 
Providence  which  placed  the  college  in  Tengchow 
should  not  be  Hghtly  ignored,  nor  the  natural  advan- 
tages which  Tengchow  affords  be  counted  for  nothing. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  make  out  a  strong  case  for  Wei 
Hsien,  and  I  am  not  disposed  to  dispute  its  advan- 
tages, except  it  be  to  question  the  vaHdity  of  the 
assumption  that  a  busy  commercial  center  is  neces- 
sarily the  best  place  to  locate  a  college.     In  view  of 
the  whole  question,  it  seems  to  me  that  unless  an 
adequate    endowment    can    be    secured— one   which 
will  put  the  college  on  a  new  basis— it  will  not  pay 
the  Board  to  make  the  sacrifice  involved  in  moving 
the  college  to  Wei  Hsien.     .     .     .     However,  I  would 
rather  go  to  Wei  Hsien  than  be  opposed  strongly 
at  Tengchow. 

On  that  part  of  his  contention  he  lost;  and  it 
would  be  useless  now  to  try  to  ascertain  the  respective 
merits  of  the  two  sides  to  that  question.  The  second 
part  of  the  letter  just  cited  discussed  the  abandonment 
of  Tengchow  as  a  mission  station.  The  plan  of  those 
who  took  the  affirmative  of  this  debate  was  to  leave 
that  city  to  the  Southern  Baptists,  who  almost 
forty  years  before  had  preceded  the  Presbyterians 
a  few  weeks  in  a  feeble  occupation,  but  who  had  been 
entirely  overshadowed  by  the  development  of  the 
college.    For  the  retention  of  the  station  Dr.  Mateer 


224        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

pleaded  with  his  utmost  fervor  and  eloquence. 
Though  the  decision  remained  in  uncertainty  while 
he  lived,  and  the  uncertainty  gave  him  much  anxiety, 
large  gifts,  coming  since,  from  a  consecrated  layman, 
have  rendered  the  retention  of  the  Tengchow  station 
secure.  The  wisdom  of  the  decision  is  vindicated 
by  present  conditions.  At  the  close  of  1909  the 
station  reported  a  city  church  with  three  hundred 
members ;  a  Sabbath  school  which  sometimes  numbers 
five  hundred  pupils;  thirty  out-stations  with  about 
five  hundred  members;  twenty-four  primary  schools, 
giving  instruction  to  three  hundred  and  sixteen 
boys  and  girls,  and  taught  by  graduates  of  the  higher 
schools  of  the  station;  a  girls'  high  school  with  an 
average  enrollment  of  forty-six  pupils,  and  for  the 
year  then  closing  having  twelve  graduates,  nearly 
all  of  whom  became  teachers;  a  boys'  high  school 
with  an  attendance  of  forty,  and  sending  up  a  number 
of  graduates  to  the  college  at  Wei  Hsien  or  to  other 
advanced  institutions,  and  having  a  normal  depart- 
ment with  a  model  primary  department;  and  also  a 
helpers'  summer  school;  besides  other  machinery 
for  reaching  with  the  gospel  the  three  millions  of 
people  gathered  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tengchow. 
Nor  has  the  work  of  the  Presbyterians  in  the  least 
hampered  that  of  the  Southern  Baptists. 

The  actual  removal  of  the  college  was  not  effected 
until  the  autumn  of  1904.  In  the  interval  between 
the  time  when  it  was  determined  to  take  this  step 
and  when  it  was  actually  accomplished  a  number  of 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       225 

important  things  affecting  the  course  of  Dr.  Mateer's 
life  occurred.  Mr.  Hayes,  as  elsewhere  stated,  re- 
signed the  presidency;  and  Rev.  Paul  D.  Bergen, 
who  had  come  out  to  the  mission  in  1883,  was  chosen 
in  his  place.  Dr.  Mateer  had  been  so  closely  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Hayes,  and  had  such  complete  confi- 
dence in  him,  that  the  resignation  came  almost  like 
a  personal  bereavement;  but  he  rose  nobly  out  of 
the  depths,  and  wrote  home  to  the  Board:  *'Mr. 
Bergen  is  clearly  the  best  man  that  our  missions  in 
Shantung  afford  for  the  place.  He  is  very  popular 
with  the  Chinese,  which  is  much  in  his  favor.  The 
time  is  as  auspicious  as  it  is  important.  Educational 
affairs  are  taking  a  great  boom,  and  it  looks  as  if 
Shantung  was  going  to  lead  the  van.  If  it  is  properly 
supported  the  college  should  do  a  great  work." 
During  the  interval  here  covered  Dr.  Mateer  came  to 
the  United  States  on  his  third  and  last  furlough, 
reaching  China  again  in  the  autumn  of  1903,  and 
bringing  with  him  some  substantial  fruits  of  his 
efforts  for  the  college. 

On  his  arrival  he  was  confronted  by  another  great 
problem  as  to  the  institution.  A  combination  had 
already  been  almost  effected  by  the  American  Pres- 
byterians and  the  English  Baptists  in  Shantung  for 
a  union  in  the  work  of  higher  education  in  the  prov- 
ince. The  matter  had  already  gone  so  far  that, 
although  he  feared  that  the  scheme  would  bring 
about  such  radical  changes  as  to  endanger  the  real 
usefulness  of  the  institution,  yet  he  made  no  serious 
15 


226        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

opposition,  and  it  went  steadily  forward  to  con- 
summation. Under  the  plan  adopted  the  Shantung 
Christian  University  was  established;  and  provision 
was  made  for  a  joint  maintenance  of  three  distinct 
colleges  in  it,  each  at  a  different  location,  chosen 
because  of  mission  and  other  conditions — a  college  of 
arts  and  science  at  Wei  Hsien,  a  theological  college 
at  Tsingchow  fu,  and  a  medical  college  at  Tsinan  fu. 
The  plan  also  provides  for  a  university  council,  to 
which  is  committed  the  general  control  of  the  insti- 
tution, subject,  of  course,  to  certain  fundamental 
regulations;  and  of  this  body  Dr.  Mateer  was  one 
of  the  original  members.  The  first  meeting  was 
held  at  Tsingchow  fu  near  the  end  of  1903.  Writing 
to  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board  of  Missions 
concerning  this,  he  said:  ''All  were  present.  Our 
meeting  was  quite  harmonious.  We  elected  pro- 
fessors and  discussed  and  drew  out  some  general 
principles  relating  to  the  curriculum  and  the  general 
management.  Theoretically  things  seem  quite  prom- 
ising; the  difficulty  will  come  in  practical  admin- 
istration. The  buildings  at  Wei  Hsien  are  all  up 
to  the  first  floor.  There  should  be  no  difficulty  in 
getting  all  ready  by  next  autumn,  at  which  time  the 
college  ought  by  all  means  to  be  moved."  Early  the 
next  summer  he  wrote:  ''I  started  to  Wei  Hsien 
about  a  month  ago,  overland.  I  spent  over  two 
weeks  taking  down  and  packing  my  goods,  and  so 
forth,  including  workshop,  boiler,  engine,  dynamo, 
and  so  forth.     I  found  it  quite  a  serious  undertaking 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       227 

to  get  all  my  miscellaneous  goods  packed  up,  ready 
for   shipment   on   boats   to   Wei   Hsien.     ...     I 
remained  in  Wei  Hsien  twenty-four  days,  unpack- 
ing my  effects,  getting  my  workshop  in  order,  and 
planning  for  the  heating    and    Hghting    outfit."     In 
the  same  letter  he  expressed  himself  as  follows  con- 
cerning   the    theological    college    at    Tsingchow    fu: 
''It   was    certainly   imderstood    at    the   meeting    of 
the  directors  last  winter  that  it  was  to  be  much 
more  than  a  theological  seminary  in  the  strict  sense 
of  the  word.     It  was  understood,   in  fact,   that  it 
would    have    two    departments,— a    training    school 
and   a   theological   seminary   proper.     In   this   way 
only  can  the  full  measure  of  our  needs  be  supphed. 
With   this   organization   it   is   not   unlikely 
that  the  school  at  Tsingchow  fu  will  be  larger  than  the 
college  at  Wei  Hsien. " 

This  narrative  as  to  Dr.  Mateer  and  the  Shantung 
College  is  now  approaching  its  close,  and  most  readers 
probably  will  prefer  that,  so  far  as  practicable,  the 
remainder  of  it  shall  be  told  in  his  own  words. 
December  21,  1904,  he  wrote  to  a  friend:  "The 
college  is  now  fully  moved  to  Wei  Hsien,  and  has  in 
it  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  students.  The  new 
buildings  are  quite  fine,— much  superior  to  those  we 
had  in  Tengchow.  Mrs.  Mateer  and  I  have  moved 
to  Wei  Hsien  to  live  and  will  make  this  our  home. 
We  are  living  in  the  same  house  with  my  brother 
Robert,  making  all  one  family.  This  arrangement 
suits  us  very  well.     I  am  not  teaching  in  the  college, 


228        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

but  I  would  not  feel  at  home  if  I  were  away  from  it. 
I  hope  it  has  a  great  future."  In  his  report  for 
himself  and  wife,  for  the  year  1904-05,  he  says: 
"The  greater  part  of  the  autumn  was  spent  in  over- 
seeing the  building  and  fitting  up  of  a  workshop, 
and  in  superintending  the  setting  up  of  a  new  thirty- 
two  horse-power  steam  boiler  for  heating  and  Hght- 
ing  the  college,  together  with  a  system  of  steam 
piping  for  the  same;  also  the  setting  up  of  engine 
and  dynamo  and  wiring  the  college  for  electric  lights. 
I  also  set  up  a  windmill  and  pumip  and  tank,  with 
pipes  for  supplying  the  college  and  several  dwelHng 
houses  with  water.  I  also  built  for  myself  and  Mrs. 
Mateer  a  seven-kien  house  in  Chinese  style,  affording 
a  study,  bedroom,  storeroom,  box  room,  and  coal 
room."  This  Kttle,  narrow,  one-story  house  con- 
stituted their  home  during  the  rest  of  his  Kfe  in  Wei 
Hsien,  though  they  still  took  their  meals  with  the 
other  family.  They  sometimes  called  this  house 
"the  Borderland,"  for  only  a  narrow  path  separated 
them  from  the  small  foreign  cemetery  at  the  extreme 
corner  of  the  compound.  In  November,  1905,  he 
wrote  to  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board:  "The 
college  is,  of  course,  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  a 
Science  Hall.  I  take  some  credit  for  having  prepared 
the  way  for  this  gift  from  Mr.  Converse."  In  his  report 
for  the  year  1906  he  said :  "  During  the  early  part  of  the 
winter  I  spent  considerable  time,  planning,  estimating, 
and  ordering  supplies  for  the  lighting,  heating,  and 
water  supply  of  the  new  Science  Hall  at  Wei  Hsien." 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       229 

We  are  at  length  face  to  face  with  the  last  stage  in 
the  active  connection  of  Dr.  Mateer  with  the  college. 
February  26,  1907,  he  wrote  to  one  of  the  secretaries 
of  the  Board  of  Missions: 

I  returned  three  days  ago  from  the  meeting  of 
the  College  Directors  at  Tsingchow  fu.  The  meeting 
was  prolonged  and  a  very  important  one.  A  number 
of  important  and  embarrassing  questions  were  before 
us.  .  .  .  You  will  hear  from  others,  of  course, 
and  from  the  minutes,  that  Dr.  Bergen  resigned  the 
presidency  of  the  college,  and  that  in  our  inability 
to  find  a  successor  I  was  asked  to  take  the  position 
temporarily,  until  other  arrangements  could  be  made, 
and  Dr.  Bergen  was  asked  to  remain  as  a  professor, 
which  he  agreed  to  do.  This  provided  for  the  teach- 
ing, and  makes  it  possible  for  me  to  take  the  presi- 
dency without  doing  much  teaching,  which  I  could 
not  do  imder  present  conditions. 

During  the  period  of  his  service  in  this  capacity 
the  college  not  only  did  well  in  its  regular  work;  it 
also  made  some  important  advances.  The  total 
attendance  was  one  hundred  and  eighty-one,  and  a 
class  of  ten  was  graduated  at  commencement.  At 
Tengchow  he  had  always  valued  the  Hterary  societies 
very  highly,  and  these  now  received  a  fresh  impetus. 
Several  rooms  of  the  new  Science  Hall  were  brought 
into  use;  two  additional  rows  of  dormitories  were 
built,  one  for  college  and  personal  teachers  and 
workmen,  and  one  for  students;  not  to  mention 
lesser  matters. 

Nevertheless  he  found  his  official  position  in  certain 


230        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

ways  very  uncomfortable.  Some  of  the  reasons  of 
this  were  casual  to  the  internal  administration, 
and  cannot  now  be  appreciated  by  outsiders,  and 
are  not  worth  airing  here.  Others  were  of  a  more 
permanent  nature,  and  had  to  do  with  the  future 
conduct, .  and  character  of  the  institution.  The 
question  of  English  had  been  for  a  while  hushed  to 
sleep;  but  it  was  now  awake  again,  and  asserted 
itself  with  new  vigor.  In  a  letter  dated  December  19, 
1907,  he  said:  ''I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  an  English 
School,  preferably  at  Tsinan  fu,  but  I  am  opposed  to 
EngHsh  in  the  college.  It  would  very  soon  destroy 
the  high  grade  of  scholarship  hitherto  maintained, 
and  direct  the  whole  output  of  the  college  into  secular 
lines."  His  fear  was  that  if  English  were  introduced 
the  graduates  of  the  institution  would  be  diverted 
from  the  ministry  and  from  the  great  work  of  evan- 
gelizing the  people  to  commercial  pursuits,  and  that 
it  would  become  a  training  school  of  compradors 
and  clerks.  Later  the  intensity  of  his  opposition 
to  the  introduction  of  English  was  considerably 
modified,  because  of  the  advantage  which  he  per- 
ceived to  be  enjoyed  in  the  large  union  meetings,  by 
such  of  the  Chinese  as  knew  this  language  in  addition 
to  their  own.  He  saw,  too,  that  with  the  change  of 
times  a  knowledge  of  English  had  come  to  be  recog- 
nized as  an  essential  in  the  new  learning,  as  a  bond  of 
unity  between  different  parts  of  China,  and  as  a 
means  of  contact  with  the  outside  world.  Looking 
at  the  chief  danger  as  past,  he  expressly  desired  that 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       231 

the  theologues  should  be  taught  EngHsh.  At  any 
rate  he  had  been  contending  for  a  cause  that  was 
evidently  lost.  At  this  writing  the  curriculum  of  the 
college  offers  five  hours  in  English  as  an  optional 
study  for  every  term  of  the  four  required  years;  and 
also  of  the  fifth  year.  Dr.  Mateer,  besides,  was  not 
fully  in  sympathy  with  a  movement  that  was  then 
making  to  secure  a  large  gift  from  the  "General 
Education  Fund"  for  the  endowment  of  the  institu- 
tion. In  the  letter  just  quoted  he  says:  ''The  college 
should  be  so  administered  by  its  president  and  faculty 
as  to  send  some  men  into  the  ministry,  or  it  fails 
of  its  chief  object.  I  am  in  favor  of  stimulating  a 
natural  growth,  but  not  such  a  rapid  and  abnormal 
growth  as  will  dechristianize  it.  I  do  not  believe 
in  the  sudden  and  rapid  enlargement  of  the  plant 
beyond  the  need  at  the  time.  It  would  rapidly 
secularize  the  college  and  divert  it  entirely  from 
its  proper  ideal  and  work."  These  questions  were 
too  practical,  and  touched  the  vitals  of  the  institu- 
tion too  deeply,  to  be  ignored  by  earnest  friends  on 
either  side.  Some  things  as  to  the  situation  are  so 
transparent  that  they  can  be  recognized  by  any 
person  who  looks  at  it  from  not  too  close  a  point  of 
view.  The  entire  merits  of  the  argument  were  in 
no  case  wholly  on  one  side;  and  as  a  consequence 
it  is  not  surprising  that  wise  and  good  men  differed 
as  they  did;  and  the  only  decisive  test  is  actual 
trial  of  the  changes  advocated  by  the  younger  men. 
It  is  also  perfectly  plain  that  in  this  affair  we  have 


232        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

only  another  instance  of  a  state  of  things  so  often 
recurring;  that  is,  of  a  man  who  has  done  a  great 
work,  putting  into  it  a  long  life  of  toil  and  self-sacri- 
fice, and  bringing  it  at  length  to  a  point  where  he 
must  decrease  and  it  must  increase;  and  where  in 
the  very  nature  of  the  case  it  must  be  turned  over  to 
younger  hands,  to  be  guided  as  they  see  its  needs  in 
the  light  of  the  dawning  day.  He  can  scarcely  any 
longer  be  the  best  judge  of  what  ought  to  be  done; 
but  even  if  he  were,  the  management  must  be  left 
for  good  or  ill  to  them.  That  evidently  is  the  light 
in  which  Dr.  Mateer  came  ultimately  to  see  this 
matter.  He  courageously  faced  the  inevitable.  In 
this,  as  in  all  other  cases,  no  personal  animosity 
was  harbored  by  him  toward  anyone  who  differed 
from  him. 

October  27,  1907,  he  wrote  to  an  associate  on  the 
Mandarin  Revision  Committee:  ''I  have  now  dis- 
solved myself  from  the  management  of  the  college, 
and  shall  have  very  httle  to  do  with  it  in  the  future. 
It  has  cost  me  a  great  deal  to  do  it,  but  it  is  best  it 
should  be  so.  I  am  now  free  from  any  cares  or 
responsibility  in  educational  matters."  In  a  letter 
to  Secretary  Brown,  dated  December  21,  1907, 
he  said:  ^'In  view  of  the  circumstances  I  thought 
it  best  to  resign  at  once,  and  unconditionally,  both 
the  presidency  and  my  office  as  director.  I  have  no 
ambition  to  be  president,  and  in  fact  was  only  there 
temporarily  until  another  man  should  be  chosen. 
I  did  not  wish  to  be  a  director  when  I  could  not 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       233 

conscientiously  carry  out  the  ideas  and  policy  of 
a  majority  of  the  mission.  It  was  no  small  trial, 
I  assure  you,  to  resign  all  connection  with  the  college, 
after  spending  the  major  part  of  my  missionary 
life  working  for  it.  It  did,  in  fact,  seriously  affect 
my  health  for  several  weeks.  I  cannot  stand  such 
strains  as  I  once  did." 

One  of  the  striking  incidents  of  his  funeral  service 
at  Tsingtao  was  the  reading  of  the  statistics  of 
the  graduates  of  the  Tengchow  College,  including 
the  students  who  came  with  the  college  to  Wei  Hsien. 
These  have  since  been  carefully  revised  and  are 
as  follows:  Total  receiving  diplomas,  205;  teachers 
in  government  schools,  38;  teachers  in  church  schools, 
68;  pastors,  17;  evangelists,  16;  literary  work,  10; 
in  business,  9;  physicians,  7;  post-office  service,  4; 
railroad  service,  2;  Y.  M.  C.  A.  service,  2;  customs 
service,  i;  business  clerks,  2;  secretaries,  i;  at 
their  homes,  6;  deceased,  22.  These  graduates 
are  scattered  among  thirteen  denominations,  and 
one  hundred  schools,  and  in  sixteen  provinces  of 
China.  About  two  hundred  more  who  were  stu- 
dents at  Tengchow  did  not  complete  the  course  of 
studies. 

The  institution  since  its  removal  has  continued 
steadily  to  go  forward.  The  large  endowment  that 
was  both  sought  and  feared  has  not  yet  been  realized, 
and  consequently  the  effect  of  such  a  gift  has  not 
been  tested  by  experience;  but  other  proposed 
changes   have   been   made.     A  pamphlet   published 


234        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

in  1 9 10  reports  for  the  college  of  arts  and  sciences 
an  enrollment  of  three  hundred  and  six  students, 
and  in  the  academy,  eighty.  The  class  which  grad- 
uates numbers  seventeen,  all  of  whom  are  Christians. 
Down  to  that  year  there  had  been  at  Wei  Hsien 
among  the  graduates  no  candidates  for  the  ministry, 
but  during  1910,  under  the  ministration  of  a  Chinese 
pastor,  a  quiet  but  mighty  religious  awakening  per- 
vaded the  institution,  and  one  outcome  has  been  a 
vast  increase  in  the  number  of  candidates  for  the 
ministry  or  other  evangehstic  work.  The  pamph- 
let already  quoted  speaks  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred of  the  college  students  who  have  decided  to 
offer  themselves  for  this  work.  It  is  appropriately 
added  that  "such  a  movement  as  this  amongst  our 
students  inspires  us  with  almost  a  feeling  of  awe. 
.  .  .  Our  faith  had  never  reached  the  conception 
of  such  a  number  as  the  above  simultaneously  mak- 
ing a  decision."  It  has  recently  been  decided  to  bring 
all  the  departments  of  the  university  to  Tsinan  fu,  the 
provincial  capital. 

In  the  theological  college  at  Tsingchow  fu,  accord- 
ing to  the  last  report,  there  were  eleven  students 
in  the  regular  theological  department  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  in  the  normal  school.  In 
the  medical  college  at  Tsinan  fu  there  were  thirteen 
young  men.  The  aggregate  for  the  whole  univer- 
sity rises  to  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight.  On  the 
Presbyterian  side  this  all  began  with  those  six  little 
boys,  in  the  old  Kwan  Yin  temple,  in  the  autumn 


THE   SHANTUNG   COLLEGE       235 

of  1864,  at  Tengchow.  To-day  it  is  a  university, 
and  is  second  to  no  higher  institution  of  learning 
in  China. 

It  is  said  that  Dr.  Mateer  never  led  in  prayer^ 
either  public  or  private,  that  he  did  not  most  ear- 
nestly ask  that  the  Lord  would  raise  up  Chinese 
Christian  men,  who  as  leaders  would  bring  many 
to  Christ.  His  prayers  during  the  forty-five  years 
of  his  missionary  life  are  receiving  a  wonderful  an- 
swer at  Wei  Hsien  and  at  Tsingchow  fu. 


XII 
WITH  APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY 

"The  things  most  likely  to  be  needed  in  China,  are  first, 
electrical  engineering,  especially  telegraphy,  and  second,  civil 
engineering,  especially  surveying  and  laying  out  of  railroads. 
Special  preparation  in  one  or  both  of  these  things  would  be  very 
valuable.  But  what  is  more  necessary  for  immediate  use,  and 
as  a  preHminary  to  these  things,  is  a  practical  knowledge  of 
scientific  apparatus, — how  to  make  and  how  to  use  it.  I 
have  myself  picked  it  up  from  books,  without  any  instructor, 
but  only  at  a  great  expense  of  time  and  labor." — letter  to 
A  PROSPECTIVE  TEACHER,  October  29, 


WHENEVER  a  group  of  the  early  acquaint- 
ances of  Dr.  Mateer  talked  together  about 
him,  one  thing  certain  to  be  mentioned  was 
his  achievements  with  apparatus  and  machinery,  both 
with  the  making  and  with  the  using  of  them.  Out 
in  China  his  reputation  for  this  was  so  great  that  it 
at  times  came  near  to  being  a  burden  to  him.  We 
have  already  seen  that  the  temporary  superintendence 
of  the  mission  press  at  Shanghai  was  thrust  upon  him, 
contrary  to  his  own  preference,  and  because,  as  he 
expressed  it  in  a  letter  at  that  time,  the  men  in  control 
considered  him  a  "Jack-of-all- trades,"  able  to  do 
anything  at  which  he  might  be  put.  If  they  then  did 
really  think  of  him  as  no  more  than  a  man  who  with 
machinery  could  do  a  great  many  things  without 
performing  any  of  them  thoroughly  well,  they  did 

236 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  237 

him  a  great  injustice,  which  their  subsequent  knowl- 
edge amply  corrected.     As  the  years  went  by,  and 
in  this  sphere  of  his  multifarious  activity  he  rose  to 
larger  and  more  difficult  achievements,  his  fame  as 
to  this  spread  far  and  wide  among  both  natives  and 
foreigners.     At  no  tune,  however,  did  he  permit  his 
efficiency  in  this  line  to  loom  up  in  such  a  form  or  in 
such  a  degree  as  to  seem  even  to  others  to  put  his  dis- 
tinctively missionary  labors  into  the  background.     It 
is  a  significant  fact  that  in  the  eulogiums  pronounced 
on  him  at  his  death  this  feature  of  his  character  and 
work  is  seldom  even  mentioned.     He  was— first,^  last, 
and  all  the  time— a  man  whose  life  and  whose  abilities 
were  so  completely  and  so  manifestly  consecrated  to 
the  evangelization  of  the  Chinese  that  when  those 
who  knew  him  best  looked  back  over  the  finished 
whole,  his  remarkable  achievements  with  apparatus 
and  machinery  scarcely  arrested  their  attention. 

Dr.  Mateer  himself  regarded  his  efficiency  in  this 
sphere  as  due  in  some  measure  to  native  endowment. 
He  had  an  inborn  taste  and  abiHty  for  that  sort  of 
work;  and  stories  have  come  down  concerning  certain 
very  early  manifestations  of  this  characteristic.  ^  It 
is  related  that  when  he  was  a  Httle  boy  he  was  suffering 
loss  through  the  raids  made  by  the  woodpeckers  on 
a  cherry  tree  laden  with  luscious  fruit.  He  pondered 
the  situation  carefully,  and  then  set  up  a  pole,  close 
by,  with  a  nice  lodging  place  for  a  bird  at  the  top, 
and  armed  himself  with  a  mallet  down  at  the  foot. 
The  woodpecker  would  grab  a  cherry,  and  inamediately 


238        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

fly  to  the  pole  in  order  to  eat  it;  but  a  sharp  blow 
with  the  mallet  would  bring  him  from  his  perch  to  the 
ground.  So  the  boy  saved  his  cherries.  It  is  also 
related  of  him  that  when  a  mere  boy  he  had  a  friendly 
dispute  with  his  father  over  the  question  whether  a 
sucking  pig  had  the  homing  instinct.  He  maintained 
that  it  would  return  to  its  mother  under  conditions 
that  proved  the  affirmative;  and  in  order  to  satisfy 
himself,  he  placed  a  pig  in  a  sack,  and  took  it  a  long 
way  from  its  familiar  haunts,  and  turned  it  loose. 
It  had  been  agreed  that  the  result  was  to  decide 
the  ownership.  To  his  delight,  immediately  the  pig 
started  on  a  bee  line  for  home,  and  never  gave  up  the 
race  until  it  was  back  in  its  old  place. 

For  the  development  and  application  of  this  natural 
gift  he  received  almost  no  help  from  others.  Probably 
if  that  old  workbench  in  the  barn  at  the  '' Hermitage" 
could  speak,  it  might  tell  something  as  to  oversight 
and  guidance  of  the  boy  by  his  father,  in  making  and 
repairing  traps  and  tools  for  use  in  recreation  and  in 
work;  but  beyond  this  he  had  no  instruction.  In  his 
day  at  college  a  chemical  or  physical  laboratory  was 
supposed  to  be  exclusively  for  the  professor  to  prepare 
his  experiments;  the  student  was  expected  only  to 
be  a  spectator  in  the  classroom  when  the  experiments 
were  shown.  The  man  who  occupied  the  chair  of 
natural  philosophy  at  Jefferson  when  we  were  there 
had  a  gift  for  supplementing  his  scanty  outfit  of  ap- 
paratus with  the  products  of  his  own  skill  and  labor, 
and  if  the  student  Mateer  had  found  his  way  down 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  239 

into  the  subterranean  regions  where  these  were 
wrought,  he  and  Professor  Jones  would  have  rejoiced 
together  in  sympathetic  collaboration;  but  no  such 
unheard-of  violation  of  ancient  custom  occurred. 
In  the  academy  at  Beaver  he  first  turned  his  hand  to 
making  a  few  pieces  of  apparatus  which  he  craved  as 
helps  in  teaching.  But  it  was  not  until  he  reached 
China  that  this  field  for  his  talent  opened  before  him, 
and  continued  to  enlarge  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  In 
fact,  even  when  he  was  absent  from  China,  on  his 
furloughs,  he  did  not  get  away  from  his  work  with 
apparatus  and  machinery.  During  one  of  his  earlier 
furloughs,  while  he  was  looking  up  everything  that 
could  be  helpful  to  his  Chinese  boys,  he  spent  some 
time  in  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works,  by  special 
permission,  in  studying  the  construction  of  locomo- 
tives, so  that  he  might  be  able  to  make  a  model  of  one 
on  his  return  to  China.  In  connection  with  this  he 
showed  such  an  acquaintance  with  the  structure  of 
these  engines  that  he  could  scarcely  convince  some 
of  the  skilled  mechanics  that  he  had  not  been  trained 
to  the  business.  Dr.  Corbett  wrote  concerning  him, 
after  his  death:  ''It  was  my  privilege  to  meet  him 
at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  in  1893.  He  had  spent 
nearly  a  month  there  examining  minutely  many 
things  of  special  interest  to  him.  As  my  time  was 
limited  he  kindly  became  my  guide  for  a  while,  and 
gave  me  the  benefit  of  his  observations.  We  first 
visited  the  department  of  electricity,  which  he  had 
carefully  studied  in  all  its  various  applications.     We 


240        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

next  went  to  Machinery  Hall,  where  he  had  spent  days 
making  drawings,  measurements,  and  so  forth,  of  the 
most  complex  machinery.  He  seemed  to  understand 
everything  as  though  this  had  been  the  work  of  his 
life."  Dr.  Hayes  says:  *'Dr.  Mateer's  ability  to  meet 
exigencies  was  well  shown  a  few  years  ago  in  Wei 
Hsien,  when  suddenly  the  large  dynamo  failed  to 
produce  a  current.  He  unwound  the  machine  until 
he  located  the  fault,  reinsulated  the  wire  and  rewound 
the  coil;  after  which  the  machine  furnished  its  current 
as  usual.  .  .  .  Electrotyping  was  hardly  in  general 
use  in  the  west  until  he  secured  an  outfit  of  tools 
and  taught  a  class  of  native  artisans.  When  electric 
fans  came  in  vogue  he  purchased  a  small  one  as  a  model 
and  proceeded  to  make  another." 

The  time  came  when  Dr.  Mateer  had  a  shop 
equipped  to  do  a  great  variety  of  work;  and  though 
not  on  a  large  scale,  yet  big  enough  to  meet  his  needs. 
Already  in  1886  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  William  he 
said:  "In  order  to  repair  apparatus,  and  in  order  to 
make  many  simpler  articles,  I  have  fitted  up  quite  a 
complete  workshop,  entirely  at  my  own  expense. 
I  have  invested  in  the  shop,  in  tools  and  materials 
quite  one  thousand  dollars.  I  keep  a  workman  at 
my  own  cost,  whom  I  have  trained  so  that  he  can  do 
most  ordinary  kinds  of  work.  There  are  a  great 
many  small  articles  we  can  make  here  more  cheaply 
than  we  can  buy  them.  There  are,  however,  many 
articles  we  cannot  make,  especially  those  that  involve 
glass  or  the  use  of  special  machinery,  or  special  skill." 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  241 

That  shop  continued  to  grow,  and  the  variety  of  its 
output  increased.     Writing  of  this,  Mrs.  Ada  Mateer 

says: 

So  soon  as  possible  in  addition  to  the  room  used  for 
carpenter  work,  a  side  house  was  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  a  shop,  which  grew  in  completeness  as 
time  went  on.  An  upper  story  was  used  for  storing 
finished  apparatus,  for  a  painting,  varnishing,  and 
drying  room.  The  lower  story  was  the  shop  proper, 
with  well,  smithy,  a  long  workroom,  private  room  for 
chemicals  and  so  forth.  Every  conceivable  amount 
of  space  in  the  shop — above,  around,  and  below — ■ 
was  occupied  with  materials,  on  boards  hung  from 
above,  in  cases  made  of  old  boxes  lining  the  walls, 
and  on  the  floor.  The  shop  contained  not  only 
materials  for  things  that  are  to  be,  but  became  also 
a  tomb  of  things  that  were,  but  are  not,  as  well  as  a 
hospital  for  things  disabled.  What  old  histories  were 
unearthed  when,  after  forty  years,  this  shop  had  to 
be  moved  to  Wei  HsienI 

Up  there  it  was  perpetuated,  the  main  difference 
consisting  in  larger  and  better  quarters,  with  some 
improved  conveniences.     His  wife  continues: 

For  every  machine  bought,  the  market  was  can- 
vassed by  correspondence,  and  the  best  selected. 
Especially  was  this  true  with  reference  to  any  tools 
or  machinery  used  in  the  construction  of  apparatus, — 
as  machines  for  turning,  blacksmithing,  plumbing, 
screw-cutting,  burnishing,  electroplating,  casting,  and 
so  forth.  His  shop  was  thoroughly  fitted  with  all 
appliances  for  the  making  of  apparatus,  or  electric  or 
steam  outfitting,  so  that  he  was  ready  to  do  anything, 
i6 


242        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

from  setting  up  a  windmill  or  water  system,  or  in- 
stalling an  engine  and  dynamo,  to  brazing  broken 
spectacle  frames  or  repairing  a  bicycle. 

So  far  as  it  was  practicable  he  turned  over  the  actual 
mechanical  labor  to  Chinese  workmen, — a  skilled 
foreman  and  apprentices  under  the  foreman's  direction. 

Why,  though  a  missionary,  did  he  employ  so  con- 
siderable a  part  of  his  time  in  this  way?  Especially 
at  the  outset  of  his  missionary  career  stern  necessity 
to  meet  his  own  needs  and  those  of  his  associates  drove 
him  to  this  line  of  work.  Had  he  been  set  down  in 
China  at  some  such  place  as  Shanghai,  where  foreign 
articles  could  be  purchased,  very  likely  his  mechanical 
gifts  would  have  remained  largely  dormant.  But  at 
Tengchow  he  helped  to  make  a  stove  out  of  odds  and 
ends,  because  one  was  indispensable  in  order  to  keep 
warm.  For  the  same  sort  of  reason  he  extracted 
teeth  and  made  false  sets,  cobbled  shoes,  and  acted  as 
master  workman  of  all  the  building  trades  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  ''new  home."  Sometimes  he  was  thus 
compelled  to  do  things  which  seemed  strange  even 
to  him.  When,  in  1865,  httle  Katie  Mills  died,  he 
had  to  act  the  part  of  undertaker.     He  said: 

It  fell  to  me  to  make  the  cofhn,  which  I  did  as  well 
as  I  could  from  memory.  I  could  not  tell  the  car- 
penter, and  I  had  to  do  the  work  myself.  He  did 
the  rough  work,  and  I  did  the  cutting  and  fitting. 
I  had  to  go  entirely  by  my  eye,  and  I  found  it  no  easy 
matter  to  get  it  in  every  respect  in  proportion.  We 
covered  it  with  black  velvet  outside,  and  inside  with 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  243 

white  linen.  It  looked  very  well  when  finished,  and 
pleased  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  very  much.  It  is  a  work 
I  never  thought  of  doing. 

At  one  point  on  the  way  through  Siberia  when 
homeward  bound  on  his  last  furlough  the  train  was 
halted  by  some  defect  in  the  working  of  the  mechanism 
of  the  locomotive.  Dr.  Mateer,  on  account  of  the 
delay,  got  out  of  his  compartment  and  went  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  He  saw  that  the  locomotive 
was  a  huge  Baldwin,  with  whose  construction  he  had 
familiarized  himself  when  in  the  United  States  on  a 
previous  furlough,  and  he  quickly  discovered  the 
cause  of  the  trouble.  He  could  speak  no  Russian, 
and  the  men  in  charge  of  the  engine  could  speak  no 
English,  but  he  managed  to  show  them  the  cause  of 
the  defective  working  of  the  mechanism,  and  how  to 
remedy  it;  and  soon  the  train  was  again  speeding  on 
its  way. 

The  time  never  came  during  his  long  residence  in 
China  when  a  necessity  did  not  occasionally  force 
itself  on  him  to  utilize  his  mechanical  gifts,  and  not 
infrequently  on  the  common  utensils  of  life.  In  Wei 
Hsien  he  often  spent  hours  directing  in  such  repairs  as 
were  needed  for  furnaces  and  the  like. 

Few  of  his  later  and  larger  achievements  in  this  field 
could  be  fairly  regarded  as  works  of  necessity,  strictly 
speaking;  they  rather  were  meant  to  be  aids  in  the 
great  enterprise  of  evangelizing  the  Chinese  Empire. 
He  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  one  of  the  most 
powerful  agencies  that  could  be  employed  for  this 


244        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

purpose  was  the  school  and  the  college.  He  was 
equally  sure  that  of  all  the  studies  that  could  be 
introduced  into  the  curricula  of  these  institutions, 
none  could  be  so  effective  in  opening  the  way  for  the 
gospel  as  that  of  the  natural  sciences,  and  especially 
physics,  inclusive  of  modern  mechanical  appHances  of 
its  principles.  He  believed  that  if  bright  young  men 
were  educated  in  that  land  of  knowledge,  and  sent 
out  under  Christian  influences  among  their  own  people, 
if  they  were  also  converted  to  Christianity,  the  out- 
come must  be  the  dissipation  of  the  existing  blind 
adherence  to  the  superstitions  and  ideas  of  centuries 
long  remote  in  the  past;  and  that  with  this  must 
come  the  opening  wide  of  the  door  for  the  entrance  of 
Christianity.  That  was  his  forecast;  and  the  present 
situation  in  China  goes  far  toward  vindicating  the 
wisdom  of  it.  But  to  teach  effectively  the  natural 
sciences  he  must  have  apparatus.  The  only  way  he 
could  secure  this  was  by  buying  what  he  could,  and 
by  utilizing  his  own  ability  to  set  this  up,  and  to  add 
as  much  as  possible  for  the  outfit  yet  needed.  Such 
was  the  prime  object  not  only  of  what  in  a  more 
limited  sense  constituted  the  apparatus  of  the  school 
and  college,  but  also  of  such  larger  appliances  as  the 
plant  for  heating  and  lighting  the  premises.  These 
were  far  more  than  conveniences  that  helped  to  better 
work;  they  were  themselves  constant  exhibitions  to 
the  students  and  to  the  people  at  large  of  the  principles 
of  natural  science,  and  of  their  value  in  the  affairs  of 
actual  life. 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  245 

Dr.  Mateer  utilized  his  outfit  of  apparatus  and 
machinery  as  a  means  of  reaching  others  besides  the 
students  in  his  own  institution,  with  the  influence  of 
modern  science,  thus  opening  a  way  into  their  minds 
for  the  gospel.  As  to  one  of  his  methods  of  accom- 
plishing this  object  Ada  gives  a  graphic  account: 

At  the  time  when  the  oflicial  examinations  were  held 
in  Tengchow,  a  large  number  of  scholars  came  to 
town,  hoping  to  secure  a  degree,  which  should  be  the 
first  step  toward  official  preferment.  So  many  of 
these,  having  heard  the  fame  of  the  foreign  machine, 
came  to  see  and  to  hear,  that  Dr.  Mateer  used  to 
give  up  his  time  to  them  during  the  days  they  were 
at  leisure.  Finally  the  opportunity  to  do  good  in 
this  way  proved  so  great  that  a  place  was  provided 
for  the  purpose,  v/hich  was  also  much  used  at  the 
Chinese  New  Year,  when  all  the  town  and  countryside 
give  themselves  up  to  recreation.  After  the  "Manda- 
rin Lessons"  began  to  bring  in  money,  he  devoted  the 
profits  to  the  building  of  a  large  museum,  with  an 
entrance  on  the  street.  One  half  was  a  big  audience 
room,  so  arranged  that  it  could  be  darkened  down  for 
stereopticon  or  cinematograph  exhibitions.  But  it 
usually  served  as  an  audience  room,  where  the  crowds 
could  sit  and  listen  to  preaching,  while  the  detachment 
that  preceded  them  was  shown  through  the  inner 
room  by  expert  assistants.  What  a  chamber  of 
wonders  that  inner  room  proved  to  them!  Here  was 
a  man,  using  a  single  hand  to  turn  a  small  crank, 
grinding  corn  as  fast  as  a  woman  or  a  donkey  could 
do  it  on  the  millstones  with  much  more  labor.  Here 
in  cases  were  birds  stuffed,  and  on  the  walls  pictures 
of  strange  animals.  Here  was  a  man  turning  a  large 
crank  that  in  some  mysterious  way  made  a  little  iron 


246        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

car  overhead  first  send  out  sparks,  and  then  run  all 
around  the  room  on  a  circular  railroad.  They  won- 
dered if  it  would  not  have  been  easier  for  the  man  to 
drag  the  car  around  on  the  ground!  There  was  an 
oil  engine  at  the  end  of  the  room,  that  was  a  wonder, 
no  mistake;  and  a  ''shocking"  machine  that  shocked 
them  indeed;  and  untold  other  wonders.  When 
the  tour  of  the  room  was  finished,  the  crowd  was  let 
out  by  another  door,  their  almond  eyes  quite  round, 
while  a  signal  given  by  a  steam  siren  showed  it  was 
time  for  the  next  group  to  go  in,  and  "open-open-eyes," 
as  they  call  sight-seeing. 

Occasionally  a  mandarin  of  high  order  came  to 
witness  the  marvels.  The  report  of  the  Shantung 
Mission  for  1909  says  that  through  the  agency  of  the 
chapel  and  museum  twelve  thousand  people  were 
brought  into  touch  with  the  gospel  during  the  year; 
so  the  work  still  continues. 

Another  good  account  to  which  Dr.  Mateer  turned 
this  pecuhar  gift  was  that  of  starting  industries  for 
native  Christians  and  promoting  self-help  among  the 
needy.  Now  it  was  a  loom  for  weaving  coarse  Chinese 
linsey  or  bagging,  or  a  spinning  or  a  knitting  machine, 
that  he  ordered;  again,  he  inquired  for  a  roller  press 
to  be  used  for  drying  and  pressing  cotton  cloth  after 
dyeing;  and  more  than  once  he  sent  for  a  lathe  for  a 
Chinese  blacksmith.  In  1896  he  interested  himself 
in  procuring  an  outfit  for  a  flouring  mill.  He  said: 
"The  enterprise  of  starting  the  mill  was  conceived 
by  Chinese  Christians,  and  they  are  going  to  form  a 
company  to  raise  the  money.     I  do  not  think  that 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  247 

there  is  a  roller  mill  in  China,— certainly  not  in  north 
China.  ...  We  personally  will  not  make  a  cent 
out  of  it;  but  we  are  interested  to  get  the  Chinese 
Christians  started  in  an  enterprise  by  which  they  can 
make  a  living,  and  introduce  improvements  into  their 

country." 

His  apprentices  went  out  in  many  instances  master 
blacksmiths,  machinists,  and  electricians,  and  had  no 
difficulty  in  finding  places.     A  Chinese  general  tem- 
porarily at  Tengchow  employed  one  of  these  men  as 
a  blacksmith,  and  his  order  was  so  evidently  filled 
according  to  western  methods  that  he  paid  a  visit  to 
the  wonderful  shop  of  this  wonderful  master.     The 
very  last  man  for  whom  he  obtained  a  place  was  his 
most  skilled  electrician  and  his  latest  foreman.     This 
man  started  a  shop  up  at  the  capital  of  the  province, 
and  for  its  outfit  Dr.  Mateer  carried  on  an  extensive 
correspondence  and  procured  large  invoices  of  goods. 
Because  of  the  provincial  university  established  there 
under  the  new  educational  regime  there  was  imperative 
need  of  such  an  establishment,  and  the  outlook  for 
success  was  excellent.     Unfortunately  for  the  pro- 
prietor, however,  the  Chinese  officials  were  equally 
aHve  to  the  opportunity  and  were  jealous  of  a  rival. 
So  they  managed  to  compel  him  to  sell  out,  though 
they  broke  the  fall  a  httle  for  him  by  retaining  him  as 
foreman.     It  is  said  that  the  thought  of  this  work- 
man's troubles  lay  heavy  on  the  heart  of  Dr.  Mateer 
in  his  last  illness.      It  was  usually  for  the  poor  that 
he  interested  himself  after  this  practical  fashion;  yet 


248        CALVIN  WILSON  Mx^TEER 

he  did  not  refuse  to  lend  aid  to  others  in  promoting 
enterprises  that  would  be  of  general  advantage.  For 
a  wealthy  Chinaman  who  owned  a  coal  mine  that 
had  been  flooded  with  water  he  went  to  a  great  deal 
of  trouble  in  order  to  put  him  in  the  way  of  securing 
a  suitable  pump.  But  whether  it  was  for  rich  or  poor 
that  the  opportunity  came  to  render  such  services, 
he  put  aside  all  thought  of  his  own  ease  or  name  or 
profit,  and  did  the  best  in  his  power. 

He  had  special  satisfaction  in  the  manufacture  of 
electrical  machines,  though  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
cut  and  bore  the  large  glass  wheels  without  breaking 
them,  and  to  adjust  all  parts  so  that  the  greatest 
efficiency  was  attained.    Ada  says: 

When  a  machine  was  perfected,  giving  an  unusually 
long  spark,  he  always  Kked  to  take  me  over  at  night 
to  the  shop  to  see  it  perform.  I  well  remember  the 
last  time, — at  Wei  Hsien.  At  one  end  of  the  shop 
was  the  windmill.  Here  he  stopped  to  show  me  a 
way  of  equalizing  the  stroke  of  the  windmill  pump 
piston,  by  hanging  on  an  old  kettle  of  scrap  iron. 
Then  he  took  me  into  an  inner  room,  where  on  one 
end  of  a  long  table  stood  the  newly  finished  machine, — 
a  beauty,  no  mistake.  Having  forgotten  some  neces- 
sary key,  he  took  the  lantern  and  went  to  get  it, 
leaving  me  in  the  dark.  I  noticed  sounds,  the  dripping 
of  water  in  the  well;  but  what  was  the  ticking  I  heard? 
On  the  return  of  the  lantern  I  saw  the  cause, — a  number 
of  clock  dials  all  hung  on  the  wall,  and  all  to  be  run 
by  one  clock  by  means  of  electricity.  These  were  for 
the  college  recitation  rooms  when  they  should  be 
finished.     Then  Calvin  made  the  new  machine  do  its 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  249 

work.  Adjusting  carefully  the  mechanism,  and  then 
measuring  the  spark,  he  exclaimed  with  boyish  glee, 
"There,  isn't  that  a  beauty!" 

Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  of  Peking,  related  in  the 
"Chinese  Recorder"  of  December,  1908,  this  incident 
as  to  Dr.  Mateer:  "It  was  once  my  privilege  to  spend 
part  of  a  vacation  in  his  hospitable  home  at  Tengchow. 
I  found  him  at  work  constructing  scientific  apparatus 
with  his  own  hands  and  wresthng  with  a  mathematical 
problem  which  he  had  met  in  an  American  magazine. 
When  I  solved  the  problem,  he  evinced  a  lively  satis- 
faction, as  if  it  were  the  one  thing  required  to  cement 
our  friendship."  The  problem  was  to  find  the  diame- 
ter of  an  auger,  which,  passing  through  the  center  of 
a  sphere,  will  bore  away  just  one  half  of  its  bulk.  It 
is  easy  to  see  that  to  a  man  of  that  sort  his  work  and 
the  scientific  and  practical  problems  constantly  arising 
in  connection  with  the  making  of  apparatus  and  the 
adjustment  of  machinery  must  have  been  in  them- 
selves a  rich  source  of  pleasure,  though  he  never 
allowed  himself  to  be  so  fascinated  by  his  shop  as  to 
break  in  on  what  he  conceived  to  be  his  higher  work. 
Speaking  of  his  last  years,  Ada  says:  "He  would  go 
out  wearied  with  the  baffiing  search  for  a  way  of 
expressing  clearly  in  Chinese  a  thought  none  too  clear 
in  the  original  Greek,  his  forehead  grooved  with  the 
harrows  of  thought.  He  would  come  back  from  the 
shop  an  hour  later,  with  well-begrimed  hands,  a  new 
spot  on  his  long  Chinese  gown,  a  fresher  pink  in  his 
cheeks,  a  brighter  sparkle  in  his  eyes,  and  his  Kps 


250        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

parted  with  a  smile.  Then,  having  washed,  he  would 
immediately  set  himself  again  to  the  work  of  revision.'* 
He  loved  also  to  share  this  joy,  so  far  as  it  could 
be  done,  with  others.  At  the  Synod  of  China  with 
his  apparatus  he  gave  several  exhibitions  that  were 
greatly  appreciated.  At  Wei  Hsien  he  rendered 
similar  services  in  the  high  schools,  and  at  Chefoo 
in  the  school  for  the  children  of  missionaries.  The 
Centennial  Fourth  of  July,  being  quite  an  exceptional 
occasion,  he  celebrated  not  with  ordinary  gunpowder, 
but  by  setting  off  a  considerable  quantity  of  detonating 
chemicals.  In  the  early  days  at  Tengchow  a  home- 
made electric  fly  whisk  whirled  above  the  dining 
table,  and  a  Httle  pneumatic  fountain  playing  in  a 
bell  glass  rendered  the  room  and  the  meals  addition- 
ally pleasant  to  the  family  and  to  the  guests.  Ada 
writes : 

But  the  thing  that  most  of  us  will  remember  longest 
is  an  illustrated  lecture  on  electricity  delivered  to  the 
college  in  Wei  Hsien,  and  afterward  to  the  foreigners 
there.  As  we  sat  in  a  darkened  room  in  the  college 
watching  the  long  sparks  of  fire,  the  twisting  circles 
of  many-colored  light,  half  illuminating  a  tall,  white- 
bearded  figure  in  a  long  black  gown,  he  seemed  to  us 
like  some  old  magician,  learned  in  the  black  arts,  now 
become  bright  arts,  invoking  to  his  aid  his  attendant 
spirits.  Nor  was  the  enchantment  diminished  when 
afterward,  more  wonderful  than  a  palmister,  he  showed 
us  by  the  jc-rays  the  bones  of  our  hands.  A  few  weeks 
later  one  of  the  ladies  of  the  compound  gave  an  evening 
entertainment  in  which  each  one  in  the  station  was  hit 
off  in  some  bright  way,  and  we  were  to  guess  the  name. 


APPARATUS  AND  MACHINERY  251 

One  number  of  the  programme  was  this:  A  black- 
robed  figure  with  cotton  beard  appeared,  leading  a 
youth  whom  he  seated  in  a  chair.  Then  the  venerable 
personage  proceeds  to  examine  the  head  of  the  stripling 
with  a  stereoscope  covered  with  black  cloth,  supposed 
to  be  a  fluoroscope,  while  an  alarm  clock  in  a  tin  pail 
near  by  supplies  the  crackling  of  electricity.  He  gives 
a  careful  examination,  shakes  his  head,  and  pronounces 
the  verdict  in  one  word,  ''Empty."  In  explanation 
of  the  tableau  it  only  needs  to  be  said  that  between 
the  exhibition  and  the  entertainment  Dr.  Mateer  had 
given  the  young  men  of  the  station  their  examination 
in  the  language. 


XIII 
THE  MANDARIN  VERSION 

"I  am  mortgaged  to  the  Bible  revision  work.  ...  It 
cost  me  a  great  effort  to  engage  in  it,  but  it  will  probably  be  the 
most  important  work  of  my  life." — letter  to  secretary 
BROWN,  June  13,  1896. 


"^0  tell  this  part  of  the  story  of  Dr.  Mateer's  life 
satisfactorily,  I  must  begin  with  the  first  gen- 
eral missionary  conference,  held  at  Shanghai  in 
May,  1877.  For  two  years  previous  he  had  served 
on  a  committee  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  meeting, 
and  in  this  capacity  he  had  rendered  much  valuable 
assistance.  At  that  conference  he  read  a  paper  in 
which  he  elaborately  discussed  the  subject  of  "The 
Relation  of  Protestant  Missions  to  Education."  The 
meeting  was  regarded  as  successful,  and  a  second  was 
called,  to  assemble  at  Shanghai,  in  May,  1890.  It 
was  at  this  conference  that  the  movement  for  a  revi- 
sion of  the  Bible  in  Chinese  took  actual  measures 
toward  realization. 

For  the  sake  of  any  readers  not  well  informed  as 
to  the  Chinese  language,  a  few  preliminary  statements 
concerning  it  may  be  desirable  here.  In  a  very  broad 
and  general  sense  it  may  be  said  that  as  to  elements, 
one  tongue  prevails  throughout  China  proper;  but 
that  there  is  also  much  important  variation  in  this 

252 


THE   MANDARIN   VERSION        253 

general  tongue.  First  of  all,  it  needs  to  be  noted  that 
the  language  takes  on  two  principal  forms, — the 
classic,  or  Wen-li,  and  the  spoken,  or  Mandarin. 
The  classic  has  come  down  through  the  centuries  from 
the  times  of  Confucius  and  Mencius,  and  remains 
comparatively  the  same  as  it  is  found  in  the  writings 
of  those  sages.  This  is  accepted  as  the  model  for 
all  writing;  and  for  that  reason  Chinese  students  have 
been  required  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  their  time 
in  memorizing  those  ancient  books,  so  that  they  might 
not  only  absorb  their  teaching,  but  also  especially 
that  they  might  be  able  to  reproduce  their  style. 
The  classic  Chinese  is  stilted  and  so  condensed  that  in 
comparison  with  it  a  telegram  would  seem  diffuse; 
and  though  many  of  the  characters  are  the  same  as 
those  used  in  writing  the  spoken  language,  yet  the 
meaning  and  often  the  sound  of  characters  is  so 
different  that  an  illiterate  person  would  not  understand 
it  on  hearing  it  read.  The  spoken  language,  on  the 
other  hand,  may  be  compared  with  English  as  to  its 
use.  Good  English  is  very  much  the  same  throughout 
the  countries  where  it  is  the  vernacular,  and  though 
it  takes  on  local  dialects,  it  remains  everywhere 
intelligible.  So,  broadly  speaking,  is  it  also  as  to  the 
spoken  Chinese  in  a  large  part  of  the  empire.  From 
the  Yangtse  up  into  Manchuria,  though  the  pronun- 
ciations differ  very  much,  the  colloquial  if  put  into 
writing  is  understood.  In  other  words,  with  differ- 
ences of  dialect  and  pronunciation  it  is  the  speech 
of  perhaps  three  hundred  millions  of  people.    The 


254        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

regions  excepted  lie  along  the  coast  from  Shanghai 
down,  and  inland  south  of  the  Yangtse,  where  the 
distinct  tongues  are  numerous  and  are  largely  un- 
intelligible except  in  their  own  localities. 

It  has  been  the  rule  in  China  that  a  mandarin 
must  not  be  a  native  of  the  province  where  he  holds 
ofhce;  and,  of  course,  it  is  essential  that  he  should 
be  acquainted  with  the  speech  which  constitutes  the 
lingua  franca.  Perhaps  for  this  reason  it  is  called 
Mandarin.  But  down  to  the  time  when  missionary 
publications  rendered  it  common  in  print,  it  was  not 
employed  in  that  mode.  All  books,  business  or 
government  documents,  the  one  newspaper  of  the 
country,  which  was  the  court  gazette,  and  all  letters 
were  in  the  higher  or,  as  it  is  called,  the  Wen-li  form, 
the  only  exception  being  some  novels,  and  even  these 
were  streaked  with  Wen-li.  This,  however,  ran 
through  gradations, — from  the  highest,  which  is  so 
condensed  and  so  bristles  with  erudite  allusions  that 
only  a  trained  scholar  can  understand  it,  down  to  a 
modification  which  is  so  easy  that  with  a  slight 
alteration  of  particles  it  is  almost  the  same  as  the 
Mandarin. 

During  the  long  period  of  the  nineteenth  century 
preceding  the  meeting  of  the  second  general  missionary 
conference,  a  number  of  translations  of  the  Scriptures, 
some  of  them  of  the  whole,  and  some  of  parts,  had 
been  made,  and  had  come  more  or  less  into  use.  The 
men  who  did  this  pioneer  work  deserve  to  be  held  in 
perpetual  esteem,  especially  in  view  of  the  difficulties 


THE   MANDARIN  VERSION 


^^55 


under  which  they  labored.    Among  the  missionaries 
who  sat  in  that  conference  there  was  no  disposition 
to  withhold  this  honor,  or  to  disparage  the  value  of 
these  early  translations;    but  there  was  so  widely 
prevalent  among  them  and  their  associates  at  that 
time  on  the  field  a  conviction  that  no  existing  version 
was  satisfactory,  that  they  recognized  it  as  a  duty  to 
take  up  the  subject,  and  to  initiate  steps  looking  to 
the  production  of  a  better.     An  informal  consultation 
as  to  this  was  held  by  a  few  men,  a  couple  of  days 
before  the  conference  assembled;    but  inasmuch  as 
Dr.  IVIateer  had  not  been  invited,  he  did  not  attend. 
Another  consultation  was  held  the  foUowing  day,  and 
because  of  his  great  interest  in  the  subject  of  a  Bible 
revision,   he  attended  without  an  invitation.     The 
views  expressed  clearly  indicated  that  there  was  a 
general  agreement  that  a  revision  was  desirable,  but 
it  also  was  made  very  plain  that  beyond  this  there  was 
a  wide  divergence  of  opinion.     We  will  allow  one  of 
his  letters  to  a  representative  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  under  date  of  May  26,  1890,  to  tell  the  next 
step  in  this  great  undertaking: 

As  I  walked  home  from  the  meeting,  and  revolved 
in  my  mind  the  difhculty  of  the  situation,  the  idea 
of  an  executive  committee,  to  whom  the  whole  work 
should  be  intrusted,  came  across  my  mmd.  When  i 
reached  my  room  I  sat  down,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
and  without  consultation  with  anyone,  wrote  out  the 
plan  which  without  essential  modification  was  subse- 
quently adopted.  It  seemed  to  strike  all  parties  very 
favorably.     On  the  second  day  of  the  conference  two 


256        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

large,  representative  committees  were  appointed  by 
the  conference,  one  on  Mandarin  and  one  on  Wen-li. 
I  was  a  member  of  both  these  committees.  Each 
committee  had  a  number  of  meetings,  in  which  the 
subject  was  freely  and  fully  discussed  in  all  its  bear- 
ings. It  was  evident  that  there  was  a  general  desire 
for  a  version  in  simple  Wen-H,  and,  the  difficulties 
being  less  in  regard  to  the  work  already  done,  a  con- 
clusion was  first  reached  in  regard  to  this  version. 
In  Mandarin  the  difficulties  were  greater. 

An  agreement,  however,  was  reached.  The  version 
in  the  higher  classic  style  then  gave  the  most  trouble, 
but  a  satisfactory  basis  for  this  also  was  agreed  upon; 
and  the  reports  as  to  all  three  versions  were  adopted 
unanimously  by  the  conference.  In  the  same  letter 
he  says:  ''I  worked  hard  for  these  results,  and  felt 
no  small  satisfaction  in  seeing  such  perfect  unanimity 
in  the  adoption  of  the  plan  proposed.  I  have  never 
done  anything  in  which  I  felt  more  the  guiding  hand 
of  God  than  in  drawing  up  and  carrying  through  this 
plan." 

The  selection  of  translators  for  each  of  the  projected 
new  versions  was  handed  over  respectively  to  execu- 
tive committees;  and  Dr.  Mateer  was  appointed  on 
that  having  charge  of  the  Mandarin,  and  made 
chairman  of  it.  He  heard  that  he  was  talked  of  as 
one  of  the  revisers  for  that  version,  but  as  yet  he  had 
not  decided  what  was  his  duty,  if  chosen.  It  will 
again  be  best  here  to  take  up  from  one  of  his  letters  the 
thread  of  the  narrative.  Under  date  of  December  13, 
189O;  he  writes  to  Dr.  Nevius: 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION        257 

I  can  truly  say  that  before  I  went  to  the  conference 
I  never  even  dreamed  of  what  has  come  to  pass.  It 
never  occurred  to  me,  before  the  conference,  that  I 
should  take  any  prominent  part  in  the  matter  of 
Bible  translation.  I  felt  that  education  was  the  only 
field  in  which  I  should  come  to  the  front.  I  was  never 
in  my  hfe  so  providentially  led  as  I  was  in  this  matter. 
I  was  selected  chairman  of  the  Mandarin  Executive 
Committee  and  have  been  pushing  the  getting  of 
translators.  The  first  few  months  were  spent  in  cor- 
responding and  comparing  notes  as  to  men.  We  took 
a  ballot  recently,  which  resulted  in  the  election  of 
five,  ...  I  being  the  only  one  who  received  a 
unanimous  vote.  We  are  now  voting  for  the  others, 
to  make  up  the  seven.  .  .  .  My  book  of  *' Man- 
darin Lessons"  has  no  doubt  brought  me  forward, 
and  its  preparation  has  in  a  measure  fitted  me  for  the 
work.  My  personal  preferences  are  against  the  work 
of  translation,  and  I  would  fain  decline  it,  but  I  don't 
see  how  I  can  in  view  of  the  circumstances.  I  feel 
my  incompetency,  especially  in  Greek  and  Hebrew, 
and  you  may  be  sure  I  am  very  loath  to  give  up  the 
educational  and  literary  work  on  my  hands.  Much 
of  it  is  half  finished.  But  if  the  Mandarin  Bible  is  to 
be  made,  some  one  must  do  it;  moreover,  the  men 
who  do  it  must  have  the  confidence  of  the  missionary 
body;  otherwise  it  will  be  a  failure.  As  it  is,  circum- 
stances have  led  me  to  the  position,  and  the  strong 
opinion  of  the  men  on  the  committee,  and  of  others, 
leads  me  to  feel  that  I  cannot  lightly  refuse. 

In  November,  1891,  the  revisers  met  at  Shanghai. 
Dr.  Mateer,  in  a  letter  written  in  the  following  Jan- 
uary, said: 


17 


258        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

The  scheme  for  the  revision  of  the  Chinese  Bible 
set  on  foot  by  the  conference  is  now  fairly  organized, 
and  approved  by  the  three  great  Bible  societies. 
The  work  of  pushing  the  organization  has  fallen 
largely  on  me,  and  I  feel  no  small  sense  of  relief  now 
that  it  is  successfully  accompHshed.  Contrary  to  my 
own  desire,  I  am  compelled  to  take  a  share  as  one  of 
the  revisers  in  Mandarin;  not  that  I  do  not  rehsh 
the  work,  but  because  it  will  of  necessity  interfere 
with  many  of  my  cherished  plans.  We  had  a  meeting 
of  all  the  revisers  of  the  three  versions,  and  it  was  a 
fairly  harmonious  and  an  altogether  successful  meet- 
ing. A  great  work  is  before  us  which  I  trust  we  may, 
in  the  good  providence  of  God,  be  enabled  to  accom- 
phsh. 

The  interval  of  about  a  year  and  a  half  between  the 
general  conference  and  the  organization  just  men- 
tioned was  required  because  of  the  difficulty  of 
selecting  and  securing  the  translators.  These  for 
the  Mandarin  version,  as  that  body  was  originally 
constituted,  consisted  of  Henry  Blodgett,  George 
Owen,  Chauncey  Goodrich,  J.  R.  Hykes,  Thomas 
Bram.fitt,  J.  L.  Nevius  and  C.  W.  Mateer.  During 
the  years  in  which  this  work  was  continued  there  were 
in  the  membership  so  many  changes  caused  by  death, 
removal  and  other  causes,  that  Dr.  Goodrich  and  Dr. 
Mateer  alone  continued  from  the  beginning  until  the 
translation  of  the  New  Testament,  the  part  of  the 
Bible  first  revised,  was  tentatively  completed.  Mr. 
Bailer  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  stands  next  in 
length  of  service,  having  joined  the  committee  in  1900. 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION       259 

Dr.  Mateer  in  the  work  of  revision  had  the  assistance 
of  two  Chinese  Christians  whose  services  were  so  large 
and  valuable  that  they  deserve  more  than  a  passing 
mention  here.  In  a  recent  letter  Dr.  Goodrich  pays 
them  the  following  just  tribute: 

Dr.  Mateer,  in  the  work  of  rendering  the  Scriptures 
into  a  universal  Mandarin  colloquial,  had  two  ex- 
ceptionally fine  teachers.     The  first  was  Mr.  Tsou  Li 
Wen,  an  ordained  pastor,  who  left  his  parish  to  en- 
gage in  this  work.     Mr.  Tsou  was  trained  by  Dr. 
Mateer  in  his  college,  receiving  his  theological  trammg 
under  Drs.  Nevius,  Mateer  and  others.     He  was  a 
man  of   beautiful    spirit,   discriminating   mind,  and 
a  fine  sense  of   language.     He  was   also  a  m.an  of 
indomitable  perseverance.     After  a  strenuous  days 
work  of  eight  hours  or  more,  he  would  often  toil  by 
himself  far  into  the  night,  seeking  for  some  phrase 
or  phrases  which  expressed  more  exactly  or  more 
beautifully  the  meaning  of  the  original.     And  before 
the  final   review,   both   he   and  my   own   lamented 
teacher  (Chang  Hsi  Hsin)  would  bestow  the  greatest 
pains,  in  the  hours  when  they  should  have  been  sleep- 
ing, in  a  careful  inspection  of  the  work.     Thus  did 
mT  Tsou  toil,  while  separated  from  his  family  for 
long  periods  of  time;  his  work  on  Bible  revision  being 
as  truly  a  labor  of  love  as  that  of  any  member  of  the 

committee. 

But  alas!  Mr.  Tsou's  fife  burned  out  all  too  soon 
in  his  exhausting  labors.  But  how  I  should  like  to 
see  his  crown,  and  his  shining  face! 

Happily  for  the  work.  Dr.  Mateer  had  another 
scholar,  trained  also  in  his  school,  Mr.  Wang  Yuan 
Teh  a  young  man  of  keen,  incisive,  logical  mmd, 
who'  had  read  all  the  best  books  in  the  Mandarin 


260        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

colloquial.  Mr.  Wang  was  quick  to  see  any  fault  in 
the  structure  of  a  sentence,  and  insistent  on  its  being 
put  right.  He  also  worked  most  faithfully  in  this 
translation,  refusing  offers  which  came  to  him  of  a 
salary  several  times  the  amount  he  received.  I  think 
he  was  held,  partly  by  Dr.  Mateer's  personaUty,  which 
drew  him  strongly,  and  partly  by  his  own  love  for 
the  work  itself.  When  the  chariot  of  fire  came  for 
Dr.  Mateer,  he  left  us,  much  to  our  regret  and  loss. 

The  work  of  these  two  men  has  entered  largely  into 
the  present  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
the  influence  of  their  work,  as  of  Dr.  Mateer's,  abides, 
and  will  continue  to  be  felt,  till  the  great  work  of 
rendering  the  Bible  into  a  universal  Mandarin  is 
finished. 

Dr.  Mateer  himself,  in  the  preface  to  his  "Mandarin 
Lessons,"  makes  acknowledgment  of  the  valuable 
services  rendered  in  the  preparation  of  that  work  by 
Tsou  Li  Wen,  and  also  by  his  own  wife. 

The  Mandarin  Committee,  at  the  meeting  in  1891, 
after  organization,  proceeded  to  divide  up  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament  among  themselves  for  work, 
and  adopted  a  plan  of  procedure.  Each  man  was 
first  carefully  to  revise  or  translate  his  own  portion; 
and  then  to  send  it  around  to  the  others,  who  were  to 
go  over  it,  and  write  their  suggestions  of  emendations, 
each  in  a  column  parallel  to  the  proposed  text.  Next, 
the  original  translator  was  to  take  these  emendations, 
and  with  their  help  was  to  prepare  a  text  in  Mandarin 
for  submission  to  the  entire  committee.  Broadly 
speaking,  this  was  the  method  pursued  to  the  end, 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION        261 

though  with  some  modifications  compelled  or  sug- 
gested by  experience.  It  was  hoped  that  compara- 
tively rapid  progress  would  be  made;  but  in  reality 
the  committee  did  not  come  together  again  until 
September,  1898;  and  even  then,  only  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles  was  ready  for  general  revision.  For  this 
delay  there  were  various  causes,  such  as  the  death 
of  Dr.  Nevius  and  the  resignation  of  others,  and  the 
absence  of  Dr.  Mateer  on  furlough  home;  but  the 
chief  cause  was  that  every  member  was  burdened  with 
so  much  other  work  that  only  a  fraction  of  his  time 
could  be  given  to  this  duty.  Dr.  Mateer,  for  example, 
found  himself  loaded  down  with  other  literary  and 
missionary  labors.  At  the  meeting  held  at  Tengchow, 
in  1898,  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  committee. 
This  was  an  honor,  but  it  also  carried  with  it  peculiar 
duties  which  materially  added  to  his  burden.  The 
committee  could  muster  only  five  members  for  that 
sitting,  but  they  proceeded  with  their  work,  and  at 
the  end  of  two  months  and  a  half  they  finished  the  book 
of  Acts;   and  then  they  separated. 

That  meeting  by  actual  experience  brought  out 
distinctly  not  only  the  difficulties  of  necessity  arising 
from  the  translation  of  particular  books  of  the  Bible, 
and  indeed  of  every  verse;  but  also  others  of  a  more 
general  character,  some  of  which  had  previously  been 
more  or  less  clearly  seen.  Should  the  new  version 
take  as  its  basis  one  or  more  of  the  translations  already 
in  existence;  or  should  it  go  back  straight  to  the 
original    Greek,    and   use    the    existing    translations 


262        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

merely  as  helps?  In  any  case,  constant  reference  to 
the  original  was  a  necessity.  For  this,  which  of  the 
pubhshed  texts  should  be  accepted  as  the  standard? 
The  meeting  also  disclosed  a  wide  divergence  of  opin- 
ion as  to  the  style  of  Mandarin  that  ought  to  be 
employed.  On  that  subject  in  1900,  Dr.  Mateer 
expressed  himself  fully  and  strongly,  in  an  article 
published  in  the  '' Chinese  Recorder."     He  said: 

The  Mandarin  Bible,  in  order  to  fulfill  its  purpose, 
should  be  such  as  can  be  readily  understood  by  all 
when  heard  as  read  aloud  by  another.  The  funda- 
mental distinction  between  Wen-li  and  Mandarin  is 
that  the  former  is  addressed  to  the  eye,  the  latter  to 
the  ear.  In  all  Protestant  churches  the  reading  of 
the  Scriptures  has,  from  the  first,  constituted  an 
important  part  of  public  worship.  In  order  that  this 
reading  may  serve  the  purpose  intended,  the  Scripture 
must  be  so  translated  as  to  be  intelligible  to  the  com- 
mon people.  Only  thus  will  they  hear  it,  as  they  did 
its  Author,  "gladly."  It  is  not  enough  that  those  who 
know  "characters"  should  be  able  to  read  it  intelli- 
gently, but  rather  that  those  who  do  not  know 
"characters,"  and  who  in  fact  constitute  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  Chinese  people,  should  be  able 
to  understand  it  when  it  is  read  to  them.  Here  then 
is  the  standard  to  be  aimed  at, — a  version  that  rep- 
resents the  Chinese  language  as  it  is  spoken,  and 
addresses  itself  to  the  ear  rather  than  to  the  eye. 

He  summarized  the  chief  characteristics  of  the 
proper  style  thus:  that  words  should  be  employed 
which  the  people  who  commonly  use  Mandarin  can 
understand;    that  sentences  should  conform  to  the 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION        263 

model  of  the  spoken  language;  and,  concerning  both 
of  these  requisites,  that  such  care  should  be  taken  as 
to  brevity,  the  order  of  words  and  clauses,  the  con- 
nective particles,  and  the  evident  movement  of  thought 
as  expressed,  that  the  Chinese  would  recognize  in  it 
a  people's  book;  and  yet  one  that  is  free  from  un- 
dignified colloquiaKsms  and  locaKsms.  All  this  he 
held  up  as  an  ideal,  not  likely  to  be  fully  reahzed  by 
any  set  of  translators,  but  if  distinctly  aimed  at,  more 
sure  to  be  nearly  approached.  Toward  the  close  of 
the  work  on  the  Mandarin  version  still  another  ques- 
tion of  a  general  nature  arose.  Throughout  most  of 
their  labors  the  committee  had  before  them  the 
revised  easy  Wen-H  translation,  and  for  a  part  of  the 
time  they  also  had  the  revised  classic  Wen-li  Bible. 
Ought  the  three  revised  Chinese  versions  to  be  har- 
monized, so  as  to  eliminate  all  variations?  That,  of 
course,  would  be  ideal.  On  this  question  the  report 
of  the  Mandarin  Committee,  which  was  as  to  sub- 
stance prepared  by  the  chairman,  took  the  negative. 
It  said: 

The  differences  are  not  great,  and  where  they  exist, 
the  versions  will  serve  Chinese  students  as  a  sort  of 
commentary.  There  are  a  multitude  of  questions 
in  Bibhcal  interpretation  which  no  translation  can 
settle  once  for  all.  Moreover,  ninety-nine  out  of  a 
hundred  of  those  who  use  the  Mandarin  will  never 
look  at  any  other  translation.  Two  versions  in 
perfect  accord  seem  like  a  fine  product,  but  it  is 
difficult  of  reaHzation.  An  attempt  at  reconciling  the 
present  versions  would  develop  many  difficulties.    A 


264        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

Mandarin  sentence  especially  is  not  easy  to  tamper 
with.  The  change  of  a  single  word  would  often 
dislocate  a  long  sentence,  and  necessitate  retranslation 
and  adjustment  to  the  context. 

The  Mandarin  committee  of  translators  continued 
their  tentative  revision  of  the  New  Testament  until 
late  in  1906,  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  counting  from 
the  date  of  their  first  meeting  for  organization  and 
assignment  of  specific  duties.  They  held  eight  differ- 
ent sessions,  being  almost  one  each  year  after  they 
were  ready  with  actual  work ;  and  none  of  the  sessions 
were  shorter  than  two  and  a  half  months,  and  one  of 
them  stretched  out  to  six  months.  They  assembled 
at  Tengchow,  near  Peking,  at  Shanghai,  and  most 
frequently  at  Chefoo.  In  the  final  report  is  the 
record:  ^'The  chairman  can  say  for  himself  that  he 
has  given  the  equivalent  of  about  seven  years  all-day 
labor  to  this  work.  He  was  present  at  every  meeting, 
and  first  and  last  missed  but  one  day's  session.'* 
Each  of  the  meetings  took  on  distinctive  incidental 
associations.  The  third  was  held  at  Shanghai,  and 
from  December,  1900,  ran  over  some  months  into 
1 90 1.  At  that  time,  on  account  of  the  Boxer  uprising, 
missionaries  were  temporarily  there  as  refugees  from 
all  the  provinces  directly  concerned  in  the  version. 
The  sittings  were  in  a  small  upper  room  in  the  Union 
Church,  which  came  to  be  called  "the  Jerusalem 
Chamber,"  and  visitors  were  many.  They  saw  two 
rows  of  men,  one  on  each  side  of  a  long  table,  yellow 
faces  being  sandwiched  alternately  with  white,  as  each 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION        %(^o 

translator  had,  as  usual  in  this  work,  his  Chinese 
assistant  at  his  side.  Often  the  discussions  were 
carried  on  in  Mandarin,  so  that  these  assistants  might 
be  able  to  understand  and  pass  their  opinion.  Inci- 
dentally it  may  be  noted  that  besides  his  work  on  the 
revision,  Dr.  Mateer  often  met  mth  the  refugee 
missionaries  during  this  period  and  greatly  gratified 
them  by  participating  in  the  discussion  of  practical 
problems. 

After  the  Mateers  returned  from  their  furlough,  the 
sessions  were  all  held  at  Chefoo,  first  in  one  of  the 
rooms  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  Sanitarium,  and 
later  in  a  large  upper  room  in  the  Missionary  Home, 
overlooking  the  bay.  Usually  at  the  commencement 
of  their  meetings  they  sat  together  for  three  hours  in 
the  morning,  and  reserved  the  rest  of  the  day  for  such 
private  study  as  they  wished  to  make;  but  as  the 
time  wore  on  they  would  increase  the  sittings  to  as 
many  hours  also  in  the  afternoon,  and  crowd  the 
private  review  into  such  odd  moments  as  were  left. 
To  anyone,  these  protracted  labors  on  such  a  work 
must  have  become  exceedingly  tedious  and  almost 
irksome;  but  to  no  one  was  it  more  so  than  to  Dr. 
Mateer.  He  knew  Mandarin  almost  as  if  it  had  been 
his  native  tongue;  but  the  Mandarin  which  he  knew 
had  often  to  be  modified  and  expressions  adjusted,  so 
that  a  Scripture  written  in  it  would  suit  other  re- 
gions of  China  as  well  as  those  with  which  he  was 
familiar.  In  writing  his  "Mandarin  Lessons^'  and  in 
preparing  his  educational  books  he  had  only  to  ascer- 


266        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

tain  to  the  best  of  his  abihty  how  to  express  his  ideas 
in  Chinese,  and  that  was  the  end  of  the  search;  but 
here  he  had  to  do  his  best,  and  then  submit  his  product 
to  the  opinion  of  others,  and  often  with  the  result  of 
changes  which  did  not  commend  themselves  to  his 
preference.  Yet,  on  his  return  home  from  the  sittings 
he  would  say:  *'I  ought  not  to  complain.  I  get  my 
way  oftener  than  any  other  man  does.  Only  I 
cannot  help  thinking  of  the  work  I  have  laid  aside 
unfinished  in  order  to  do  this."  After  each  meeting 
the  year's  work  was  printed,  marked  ''Tentative 
Edition,"  and  with  a  slip  inviting  criticism  was  sent 
to  the  missionaries  in  north  China  and  Manchuria. 
These  criticisms  were  all  to  be  canvassed  before  the 
edition  could  be  printed  that  was  to  be  presented  to 
the  Centenary  Conference,  to  which  they  were  to 
report. 

The  final  meeting  for  the  tentative  revision  of  the 
New  Testament  lasted  for  more  than  five  months, 
and  the  work  was  pushed  with  even  more  than  the 
usual  vigor.  The  Centenary  Missionary  Conference 
for  China  was  only  a  year  ahead  when  they  began. 
After  the  conference  the  revision  was  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  criticisms,  and  these  were  to  be  canvassed; 
and  thus  at  last  the  revision  was  to  take  its  permanent 
form.  Mrs.  Mateer  gives  the  following  graphic 
account  of  one  of  the  closing  incidents  of  that  session. 

Passage  had  already  been  engaged  for  the  Goodrich 
family  on  a  steamer  sailing  north.  The  baggage  was 
all  carried  down,  the  family  all  waited  on  the  upper 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION        267 

veranda,  with  hats  on,  and  the  Doctor's  hat  was  ready 
for  him  to  seize  as  soon  as  he  should  get  out  of  the 
meeting.  The  "rickshaw"  men  were  waiting,  ready 
to  run  with  their  loads.  But  still  no  sound  of  ap- 
proaching feet!  Finally,  as  it  got  dangerously  near 
the  hour  of  saiHng,  Mrs.  Goodrich  said,  "I  must  go 
and  hurry  them  up."  So  she  marched  boldly  down 
the  hall,  listened  a  minute  at  the  door,  and  came  back 
with  her  fingers  on  her  lips.  "Those  dear  men  are  pray- 
ing," she  whispered;  and  tears  filled  our  eyes  as  our 
hearts  silently  joined  in  the  prayer.  Of  course,  every 
morning  session  was  opened  with  prayer;  but  this 
was  the  consummation  of  all  these  years  of  toil,  the 
offering  of  the  finished  work  at  the  altar. 

Although  the  committee  completed  their  revision 
at  that  session,  so  far  as  this  was  possible  until  the 
conference  should  meet  and  approve  or  disapprove  it, 
there  was  very  considerable  work  of  a  tedious  nature 
left  to  Dr.  Mateer  to  perform.  The  finishing  touches 
yet  to  be  put  upon  portions  of  the  version  were  not  a 
few;  but  the  thing  that  required  of  him  the  most 
protracted  and  delicate  attention  was  the  punctuation. 
For  this  he  introduced  a  new  system  which  seemed  to 
him  to  be  best  for  the  Chinese  language,  and  which 
can  be  estimated  fairly  only  by  a  scholar  in  that 
tongue.  To  him  also  as  chairman  came  the  criticisms 
which  were  invited  from  all  quarters,  most  of  which 
were  welcomed,  but  some  of  which  touched  him  to 
the  quick.  At  length,  in  the  spring  of  1907,  the 
conference  assembled  at  Shanghai,  and  the  report  of 
the  Committee  of  Revisers  was  made  to  that  body. 


268        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

He  wrote  to  a  friend  in  the  United  States  concerning 
it:  "We  had  a  grand  missionary  conference  in  Shang- 
hai, which,  of  course,  I  attended.  There  was  more 
unanimity  and  less  discussion  than  in  the  former 
conference."  The  report  received  a  hearty  approval, 
and  the  version  was  started  on  its  course  of  examina- 
tion by  all  concerned,  as  preparatory  to  its  final 
completion.  It  was  issued  from  the  press  at  Shanghai 
in  1 910.  It  was  called  a  revision,  the  aim  being  to 
offer  it,  not  so  much  as  a  rival  to  the  older  versions, 
as  an  improvement  upon  them;  but  in  reality  it  was 
an  almost  entirely  new  translation,  though  in  making 
it  advantage  had  been  taken  of  the  valuable  pioneering 
done  by  the  others.  Writing  to  a  friend  after  the 
conference  had  adjourned,  Dr.  Mateer  frankly  said: 

Please  note  that  we  still  have  opportunity  for  final 
revision,  in  which  many  defects  will  be  eliminated. 
There  are  places  not  a  few  with  which  I  myself  am 
dissatisfied,  many  of  which  I  see  can  be  improved. 
I  refer  especially  to  texts  that  are  excessively  literal, 
and  where  foreign  idioms  are  used  to  the  detriment 
of  the  style.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  many 
terms  and  expressions  that  seem  strange  and  perhaps 
inexpressive  at  first  will  on  further  use  seem  good  and 
even  admirable.  •  Every  new  translation  must  have 
a  little  time  to  win  its  way.  That  our  version  will 
appeal  strongly  to  the  great  mass  of  the  Chinese 
church  I  have  no  doubt. 

During  the  long  years  he  was  engaged  in  this  great 
undertaking  he  learned  some  valuable  lessons  con- 
cerning the  translation  of  the  Scriptures.     He  came 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION       269 

to  speak  of  it  as  an  art,  for  which  special  training  and 
experience  are  needed.     In  an  article  which  appeared 
after  his  death,  in  the  November  issue  of  ''The  Chinese 
Recorder"  for  that  year,  he  gave  at  length  a  discussion 
of  ''Lessons  Learned  in  Translating  the  Bible  into 
Mandarin."     He  pointed  out  difhculties  that  hamper 
the  making  of  a  version  in  the  Mandarin  as  compared 
with  the  Wen-H  in  either  of  its  forms.     To  appreciate 
these,  one  needs  to  be  a  master  in  those  tongues. 
But  he  also  indicated  others  that  lie  in  the  way  of  a 
translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  any  sort  of  Chinese. 
Many  of  the  very  ideas  of  the  Bible  on  moral  and 
spiritual  subjects  had  never  entered  the  Chinese  mind, 
and   consequently   there   are   no   suitable   words   or 
phrases  to  express  them.     Just  as  western  science  has 
to  invent  its  own  terms  when  it  enters  China,  so  also 
within  limits  must  the  translator  of  the  Bible  introduce 
a  vocabulary  suited  for  his  purpose.    He  believed  that 
in  the  China  of  to-day  prejudice  had  so  far  begun  to 
yield  that  this  could  be  effectively  and  wisely  done. 
In  fact,  each  branch  of  modern  thought  that  has  been 
grafted  on  the  stem  of  the  Chinese  has  already  brought 
with  it  new  words,  so  that  hundreds  of  these  have 
recently  been  coined  and  are  on  the  tongues  of  the 
leaders.     Along  with  the  lack  of  an  adequate  vocabu- 
lary goes  another  thing  that  adds  to  the  difficulty. 
In  the  translation  of  other  books  the  main  need  is  to 
express  the  thought,  and  in  doing  this  considerable 
freedom  is  usually  tolerated;    but  accuracy  of  ex- 
pression, because  of  the  very  nature  of  the  Bible,  is 


270        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

of  the  first  importance  in  a  version.  Besides,  the 
Chinese  Christians  seem  especially  disposed  to  insist 
on  this  quality.  The  tendency  of  a  translator  is  apt 
to  be  toward  adapting  the  Scripture  to  what  is  con- 
ceived to  be  the  taste  of  the  Chinese,  to  write  up  to 
the  style  with  which  the  educated  are  familiar,  or 
down  to  the  level  of  the  uneducated  speech.  Another 
defect  is  to  magnify  or  to  minify  peculiarities  of  ex- 
pression originating  in  the  region  where  the  Scriptures 
were  written.  Dr.  Mateer  thought  that  he  recognized 
very  distinctly  tendencies  of  this  sort  in  the  older 
versions,  though  abating  in  more  recent  times.  His 
article  concluded  as  follows: 

The  Bible  does  not  need  any  doctoring  at  the  hands 
of  translators.  The  Chinese  church  is  entitled  to 
have  the  Bible  just  as  it  is,  in  a  strictly  faithful  and 
accurate  translation.  This  they  demand  of  us  who 
translate  it  for  them.  They  do  not  want  to  know 
what  the  writers  would  have  said  if  they  had  been 
Chinese,  but  what  they  actually  did  say.  This  is 
the  manner  in  which  the  Chinese  who  have  learned 
English  are  now  translating  foreign  books  into  their 
own  language,  and  this  is  very  evidently  the  spirit  of 
I  the  times.  The  English  Bible,  especially  the  Revised 
\  Version,  is  a  monument  of  careful  and  accurate  trans- 
lation. Translators  into  Chinese  cannot  do  better 
than  follow  in  the  same  line.  I  have  a  number  of 
times  heard  students  when  using  commentaries,  or 
hearing  lectures  on  various  portions  of  Scripture, 
express  their  surprise  and  dissatisfaction  that  the 
Bible  had  not  been  more  accurately  translated.  I 
have  known  Chinese  preachers,  when  quoting  a  text 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION        271 

which  had  a  marginal  reading  saying  that  the  original 
says  so  and  so,  to  remark  with  strong  disapproval, 
*'If  the  original  says  so,  why  not  translate  it  so,  and 
be  done  with  it?"  On  one  occasion  in  our  committee, 
when  a  question  was  raised  about  giving  a  metaphor 
straight  or  paraphrasing  into  a  comparison,  one  of  our 
literary  helpers  said  with  vigorous  emphasis:  "Do 
you  suppose  that  we  Chinese  cannot  understand  and 
appreciate  a  metaphor?  Our  books  are  full  of  them, 
and  new  ones  are  welcome."  If  we  do  not  give  the 
Chinese  the  Bible  as  it  is,  they  will  condemn  us,  and 
before  long  will  do  the  work  for  themselves. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  no  one 
man  can  make  a  satisfactory  translation  of  the  Bible. 
There  are  limitations  to  every  man's  knowledge  of 
truth  and  of  language.  Every  man's  vision  is  dis- 
torted in  some  of  its  aspects.  This  is  a  lesson  we  have 
been  learning  day  by  day,  and  are  still  learning.  If 
any  man  wishes  to  find  out  liis  limitations  in  these 
respects,  let  him  join  a  translating  committee. 

With  regard  to  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  this 
revision,  Dr.  Goodrich  thus  expresses  himself: 

No  literary  work  of  such  peculiar  difficulty  has  been 
undertaken  in  China  since  the  first  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  by  Morrison.  To  produce  a  Bible  whose 
language  shall  run  close  to  the  original,  simple  enough  to 
be  understood  by  ordinary  persons  when  read  aloud  in 
the  church  or  in  the  home,  and  yet  chaste  in  diction; 
this  work  to  be  done  by  a  committee  chosen  from 
widely  distant  locahties,— from  Peking  on  the  north- 
east, to  Kneichow  in  the  southwest,— might  well 
frighten  any  body  of  men.  For  the  first  years  together 
the  work  was  almost  the  despair  of  the  committee. 
Their  efforts  to  make  themselves  mutually  understood 


272        CALVIN   WILSON  MATEER 

and  to  unite  on  a  rendering  were  often  immensely 
prolonged  and  exasperatingly  amusing. 

But  they  were  trying  to  do  for  China  what  WycKf 
did  for  the  English  and  what  Luther  did  for  the  Ger- 
mans,— to  make  a  translation  of  the  Bible  into  a 
vernacular  form  of  national  speech  which  would  be 
everywhere  intelligible;  and  they  took  courage  and 
pressed  forward  slowly  but  surely  toward  their  goal. 
In  doing  this  they  not  only  have  accomplished  the  end 
immediately  sought,  but  they  also  have  put  into  the 
hands  of  the  people  at  large  a  model  which  will  largely 
mold  all  their  coming  literature. 

The  conference  at  Shanghai  in  1907  approved  the 
report  on  the  New  Testament  and  decided  to  proceed 
to  the  revision  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  appointed 
an  executive  committee  to  select  the  men  to  do  this 
work.  The  members  chosen  were  the  same  five  who 
had  served  toward  the  close  of  the  revision  of  the 
New  Testament,  with  the  exception  of  a  new  translator 
needed  because  one  of  the  old  committee  had  gone 
home.  Dr.  Mateer  was  especially  anxious  that  they 
might  be  saved  from  the  necessity  of  breaking  in  and 
training  several  inexperienced  members.  Of  course, 
he  had  foreseen  that  he  would  probably  be  selected, 
but  when  informed  that  this  had  been  done  he  reserved 
his  decision  until  he  knew  of  whom  besides  himself  the 
committee  was  to  consist.  To  Dr.  Goodrich  of  the 
American  Board,  with  whom  he  had  been  so  intimately 
associated,   he  wrote  several   times,   urging  him  to 


THE  MANDARIN  VERSION       273 

accept;  and  in  one  of  these  letters  he  said:  ''There 
is  a  variety  of  reasons  why  I  am  perhaps  as  loath 
as  you  are  to  do  this  work.  So  far  as  money,  reputa- 
tion, or  personal  taste  goes,  I  should  rather  do  other 
work.  But  then  it  seems  as  if  duty  calls  to  this. 
Neither  you  nor  I  can  ignore  the  fact  that  the  experi- 
ence and  training  of  all  these  years  have  fitted  us  in  a 
special  manner  for  this  work.  We  can  do  it  better 
and  faster  than  new  men."  He  was  again  made  chair- 
man, and  as  such  he  proceeded  to  distribute  the  first 
of  the  revision  work,  for  which  he  selected  Genesis  and 
certain  of  the  Psalms.  He  began  his  personal  labors 
at  the  opening  of  the  year,  and  in  the  summer  the 
committee  assembled  at  Chefoo  to  consider  what  had 
then  been  accomplished.  The  Goodrich  and  the 
Mateer  families  went  into  residence  during  their 
projected  stay,  and  took  for  this  purpose  a  house 
occupied  usually  as  headquarters  for  the  school  for 
the  deaf,  Mrs.  Goodrich,  because  of  the  condition  of 
Mrs.  Mateer's  health,  having  charge  of  the  house- 
keeping. The  meetings  were  held  in  a  Httle  chapel 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  in  the  neighboring 
valley.  It  was  while  so  situated  that  Dr.  Mateer  was 
stricken  with  his  fatal  illness. 

In  a  letter  which  he  addressed  ''To  the  dear  ones 
at  home,"  on  the  occasion  of  his  seventieth  birthday, 
he  said: 

God  has  also  blessed  me  in  enabling  me  to  accom- 
plish several  of  the  leading  purposes  of  my  life.     From 
my  boyhood  I  longed  for  a  liberal  education.     My 
i8 


274        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

next  great  desire  was  to  give  at  least  forty  years  to 
work  in  China.  Soon  after  I  came  to  China  I  began 
educational  work  on  a  very  small  scale,  but  aspired 
to  raise  up  a  college  that  might  be  a  power  for  good. 
I  early  formed  the  purpose  of  becoming  an  adept  in 
the  spoken  language,  and  in  aiming  at  this  saw  the 
need  of  a  text-book  for  learning  the  language,  and 
set  about  making  it.  All  these  purposes  I  have  been 
enabled,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  to  accomphsh.  My 
great  work  for  the  last  ten  years  has  been  to  lead  in 
the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  Mandarin.  This 
has  been  a  most  trying  and  laborious  task,  which  is 
not  yet  completed.  The  New  Testament  is  nearly 
done,  but  whether  the  Old  Testament  will  be  com- 
pleted, who  can  tell?  My  desire  and  hope  is  to  com- 
plete it.  To  prepare  a  mature  and  approved  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible  for  the  use  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
milUons  of  people  will  be  for  the  glory  of  God  in  China. 


XIV 

INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY 

"There  are  many  trials  and  self-denials  in  missionary  life, 
but  there  are  also  not  a  few  compensations  and  some  ad- 
vantages."—letter  "to  the  dear  ones  at  home,  at  his 
seventieth  birthday. 


^HE    statement   just   quoted   is   general,    and 
admits   of   application  in   the  case  of    every 
faithful  foreign  missionary;    but  Dr.    Mateer 
meant  it  especially  as  an  expression  of  liis  own  ex- 
perience.    In  the  story  of  his  life  work  as  aheady 
here   told  we   have   seen  it   constantly  exempHfied. 
There,   however,    still   remain   other   instances   that 
deserve  permanent  record.     In  speaking  of  them  as 
''incidents  by  the  way,"  and  in  gathering  them  into 
a  single  chapter,  I  do  not  mean  to  indicate  that  they 
are  unimportant.     Some  of  them  concerned  the  depths 
of  his  life.     But  liis  work  after  he  reached  China  was 
chiefly  along  the  Hues  that  have  been  traced  in  the 
preceding  chapters,   and  those  matters   now    to   be 
related,  however  important,  were  incidents  by  the 

way. 

Of  the  trials  that  overtook  him,  none  were  so  keenly 
felt  as  his  bereavements.  Only  two  or  three  of  these 
can  be  mentioned  here,— such  as  occurred  within  the 
circle  of  his  own  relatives  out  in  China.     The  first 

275 


276        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

was  the  death  of  Mrs.  Capp,  the  sister  of  Mrs.  Julia 
Mateer.  This  occurred  on  February  17,  1882,  at 
Tengchow.  She  went  down  into  the  shadows  with 
the  tender  ministrations  of  her  sister  and  of  Dr. 
Mateer.  In  writing  to  a  brother  of  her  deceased 
husband,  he  said: 

On  Sabbath  afternoon, — yesterday, — we  buried 
her  on  the  hill  west  of  the  city,  with  other  missionary 
friends  who  have  gone  before  her.  She  was  greatly 
beloved  by  the  Chinese,  and  there  were  few  of  the 
Christians  here  who  did  not  weep  to  part  with  her. 
Mr.  Mills  conducted  the  funeral  service  in  Enghsh, 
and  made  some  excellent  remarks,  admirably  adapted 
to  the  occasion.  One  of  our  native  elders  made  a 
very  effective  address  in  Chinese.  Her  work  is  done, 
and  it  is  well  done.  Her  memory  will  not  soon  die 
amongst  the  Chinese  in  this  city  and  neighborhood. 
We  will  miss  her,  oh,  so  much, — her  help,  her  counsel, 
her  genial  society,  her  spiritual  power!  Her  school 
will  miss  her  the  most:  her  place  in  it  cannot  be  filled. 
She  was  ready  to  die,  and  strong  in  faith,  yet  she 
longed  to  live,  not  that  she  might  enjoy  life,  but,  as 
she  several  times  said,  that  she  might  save  some  more 
souls.  She  repeatedly  assured  us  of  her  joy  that  she 
had  come  to  China,  and  declared  that  she  had  never 
counted  it  a  sacrifice,  but  a  privilege.  I  told  the 
Chinese  over  her  coffin  to  imitate  her  as  she  did 
Christ, — her  zeal  and  earnestness  in  all  duty,  and  her 
untiring  endeavor  and  desire  to  save  souls. 

Sixteen  years  later,  almost  to  a  day, — February  16, 
1898, — Julia  finished  her  earthly  work  and  entered 
into  the  heavenly  rest.     I  have  already  mentioned 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         277 

that  sorrowful  event  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Mateer,  and 
said  something  of  her  character.  Her  biography  is 
soon  to  be  given  to  the  world  in  a  distinct  volume. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  would  be  superfluous 
to  make  any  extended  record  concerning  her  here. 
It  is  due,  however,  to  her  husband  to  quote  at  least 
a  part  of  one  paragraph  from  a  brief  memoir  of  her 
written  by  him  shortly  after  her  death.  In^  telling 
of  her  varied  labors  and  achievements  he  said  this, 
which  so  far  as  it  was  known  to  her  in  Hfe,  must  have 
been  an  immeasurable  satisfaction: 

Before  the  end  of  her  first  year  in  China  she  took  an 
active  part  in  opening  the  Httle  school  which  ultimately 
grew  into  the  Shantung  College.     To  this  school  she 
gave  the  best  energies  of  her  hfe,  and  to  her  m  no  small 
degree  is  due  its  continued  success.    She  was  an  accom- 
pHshed  teacher,   especially  of  young  boys.     .     .     . 
She  did  far  more  than  teach,  during  the  earlier  years 
of  the  school;    she  did  fully  two  thirds  of  the  work 
involved,  giving  her  time  day  and  mght  to  every 
detail      She  kept  the  accounts,  looked  after  food  and 
clothing   and   a  hundred  nameless   things.     To   the 
end  she  was  the  confidante  and  adviser  of  all,  m  their 
troubles,  trials,  and  plans,  in  their  marriage  alhances, 
and  in  their  spiritual  exercises.     The  thoughtfu   care 
she  gave  to  all  her  pupils  when  they  were  sick  en- 
deared her  to  the  hearts  of  all  who  were  m  the  college^ 
She  studied  medicine  on  her  own  account,  and  had 
no  mean  skill  as  a  physician.     AU  the  sick  m  the 
native  church,  and  all  the  sick  in  her  own  neighbor- 
hood, heathen  and  Christian,  came  to  her,  and  she 
never  refused  a  call.     There  is  no  graduate  of  the 
Tengchow  College  who  does  not  have  a  place  tor  Her 


278        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

in  his  heart,  close  by  the  side  of  that  of  his  own  mother. 
During  her  illness  there  is  probably  not  one  of  these 
young  men,  scattered  as  they  are  over  all  north  China, 
who  did  not  pray  earnestly  for  her,  many  of  them  in 
public  as  well  as  in  private;  and  many  of  them  have 
written  her  the  most  anxious  and  affectionate  letters. 
On  her  sixtieth  birthday,  last  July,  the  students  of 
the  college  and  graduates  with  their  most  imposing 
ceremony  presented  her  with  a  decorated  silk  gown, 
and  placed  a  large  title,  or  sign,  in  gilt  letters  over  the 
front  door  of  the  house,  ^^Character-nourishing  aged 
mother y  It  was  the  proudest  day  of  her  life  when 
these  young  men  presented  her  with  this  most  fitting 
token  of  their  loving  reverence  and  esteem. 

In  view  of  the  hatred  and  prejudice  which  con- 
fronted her  and  her  husband  when  they  arrived  in 
Tengchow  nearly  thirty-five  years  before,  it  must  have 
almost  seemed  to  her  like  the  illusion  of  a  dream. 

We  have  previously  seen  that  Dr.  Mateer's  brother 
John  became  the  superintendent  of  the  mission 
press  at  Shanghai  in  1872.  He  continued  in  that 
position  until  1876,  when  he  returned  home.  For  a 
good  many  years  he  was  in  business  in  the  United 
States,  and  then  he  returned  to  China  and  took  charge 
of  the  mission  press  of  the  American  Board  at  Peldng. 
In  April,  1900,  Dr.  Mateer  was  called  by  telegraph  to 
come  to  that  city  as  quickly  as  possible,  on  account  of 
the  dangerous  illness  of  his  brother;  but  John  died 
the  day  before  his  arrival.  In  a  letter  to  the  sur- 
viving brothers  and  sisters  Dr.  Mateer,  after  describ- 
ing the  funeral  services,  added: 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         279 

It  is  evident  that  his  work  here  in  the  press  was 
highly  appreciated.     He  was  also  held  in  liigh  esteem 
by.  the  members  of  the  other  missions,  and  was  well 
and    favorably    known    in    the    American    legation. 
Several  of  the  speakers  said  that  John's  life  was  a 
well-rounded  and  successful  one,  achieved  in  the  face 
of  great  difficulties.     From  the  standpoint  of  worldly 
wisdom  his  Ufe  could  scarcely  be  called  successful; 
but   from   the   spiritual,   it   certainly   was.     In   this 
regard  he  was  probably  superior  to  any  member  of 
the  family.     His  mind  was  clear  to  the  end  and  filled 
with    confident    hope.     As    his    disease    grew    more 
serious  he  showed  no  fear,  and  to  the  last  he  faced 
death  without  a  tremor.     May  God  give  unto  each  of 
us  who  remain  grace  to  face  the  king  of  terrors  with 
the  same  triumphant  faith.     We  buried  him  in  the 
foreign  cemetery,  just  north  of  the  city,  in  the  most 
beautiful  spot  in  that  cemetery,  and  just  by  the  side 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Morrison  of  our  mission. 

It  did  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  Dr.  Mateer  to  have  any 
experience  of  perilous  adventure  and  of  hairbreadth 
escapes  such  as  have  come  into  the  Hves  of  missionaries 
in  unciviHzed  lands,  and  even  in  China.  Still  he  by 
no  means  escaped  serious  risks.  In  his  earlier  itinera- 
tions he  was  several  times  threatened  with  attacks 
from  individuals  or  crowds,  and  sometimes  he  armed 
himself  in  order  to  defend  himself  from  assault.  The 
second  year  of  his  residence  in  Tengchow,  because  of 
negotiations  going  forward  for  the  renting  of  a  house 
near  the  south  gate,  a  meeting  of  as  many  as  a  thou- 
sand people  composing  the  most  influential  clan  in 
the  city  assembled  in  one  of  the  temples,  and  de- 


280        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

manded  of  the  officials  permission  to  kill  the  man  who 
controlled  the  house,  and  the  foreigners;  but  the 
excitement  passed  away  without  any  open  outbreak. 
In  the  summer  of  1867  there  was  a  great  scare  at 
Tengchow  over  the  approach  of  a  body  of  ''rebels." 
These  were  in  reahty  robbers,  consisting  of  the  dregs 
left  behind  at  the  suppression  of  the  Tai-Ping  re- 
bellion, who  burned  and  laid  waste  large  districts 
of  country,  and  mercilessly  slaughtered  the  people. 
Their  approach  to  Tengchow  had  so  often  been  re- 
ported that  nobody  knew  what  to  anticipate;  but 
at  length  they,  sure  enough,  made  their  appearance 
in  the  neighboring  country.  The  inhabitants  crowded 
into  the  city  by  thousands,  bringing  with  them 
donkeys,  cattle,  and  everything  that  could  be  hastily 
removed,  so  that  not  only  the  houses,  but  the  streets 
and  vacant  places  were  crammed  with  them,  the  mis- 
sion premises  not  being  excepted.  JuHa  found  in  the 
situation  a  fine  opportunity  to  give  the  gospel  to  the 
women;  and  her  husband  was  equally  dihgent  among 
the  men,  though  he  was  unfortunately  hampered  by 
the  absence  of  his  Chinese  assistant.  A  British  war 
vessel  called  early  in  the  scare  and  offered  to  remove 
the  missionaries  to  a  place  of  safety;  and  later  the 
*' Wyoming,"  a  United  States  naval  vessel,  anchored 
out  in  the  bay,  where  she  could  bring  her  guns  to 
play,  if  necessary,  for  the  protection  of  American 
citizens.  Happily,  after  five  days  of  this  state  of 
things  the  rebels  again  vanished,  but  not  without 
leaving  in  their  trail  sickness  and  desolation.     The 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         281 

missionaries  do  not  seem  to  have  been  much  alarmed 
at  any  time  during  the  excitement,  though  no  one 
could  tell  what  might  happen. 

In  1870  there  was  a  cruel  massacre  of  a  large  number 
of  French  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  and  of  some 
others  at  Tientsin,  and  much  valuable  mission  prop- 
erty was  destroyed.  The  news  of  this  spread  rapidly 
over  north  China  and  kindled  the  animosity  of  the 
natives  against  foreigners  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
situation  in  many  locahties  became  very  dangerous. 
At  Tengchow  rumors  of  plots  to  wipe  out  the  mis- 
sionaries there  were  frequent,  and  the  native  Chris- 
tians and  others  who  were  friendly  communicated 
to  them  information  that  justified  serious  apprehen- 
sion. A  meeting  of  all  the  members  of-  both  the 
Baptist  and  the  Presbyterian  station  was  called,  and 
then  another  the  next  day,  and  by  an  almost  unani- 
mous vote  it  was  declared  that  it  was  the  duty  of  all 
to  take  refuge  in  Chefoo  or  elsewhere  until  the  danger 
was  substantially  ended.  Dr.  Mateer  in  these  meet- 
ings advocated  brief  delay  and  further  inquiry,  but 
when  he  found  himself  in  a  minority  of  one,  he  yielded 
his  judgment  to  that  of  all  the  others.  Just  as  soon 
as  possible  a  message  was  sent  to  Chefoo  for  a  ship 
to  come  up  and  take  the  famihes  to  that  place,  and  a 
couple  of  British  vessels  promptly  responded.  All 
valuables  that  could  be  quickly  packed  and  easily 
removed  were  shipped;  and  the  premises  at  Tengchow 
were  placed  in  charge  of  as  trusty  Chinese  as  could  be 
obtained  for  the  purpose,  and  a  promise  was  given 


282        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

by  the  chief  official  of  the  city  that  he  would  see  that 
constables  watched  the  property.  Dr.  Mateer  did 
not  go  on  the  ship,  but  remained  a  day  along  with  a 
Baptist  missionary  in  order  to  complete  the  arrange- 
ments required  for  the  proper  keeping  of  the  houses 
and  goods,  and  then  he  followed  on  horseback  dov/n 
to  Chef 00.  The  prompt  appearance  of  the  ships  in 
the  harbor  and  the  removal  of  the  missionaries  seem 
to  have  made  a  most  wholesome  impression  on  the 
people,  and  the  excitement  soon  subsided,  and  a 
rather  general  desire  prevailed,  even  among  the  non- 
Christian  Chinese,  that  they  should  return.  The 
American  minister  at  Peking  also  greatly  gratified 
the  refugees  and  their  fellow-laborers  from  the  United 
States  by  the  to  them  somewhat  novel  experience  of 
his  taking  an  earnest  practical  interest  in  their  wel- 
fare. He  advised  them  to  return  to  Tengchow,  and 
soHcited  the  privilege  of  sending  them  back  on  an 
American  warship.  After  an  absence  of  about  a 
month  Dr.  Mateer  went  thither  on  a  preliminary 
trip,  and  was  pleasantly  surprised  at  the  friendly 
attitude  of  the  people.  In  due  time  the  other  mis- 
sionaries and  their  families  followed;  but  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  synod  which  ensued  a  little  later  he  was 
compelled,  after  a  brief  sojourn  at  Tengchow,  to  go 
down  to  Shanghai  and  remain  there  for  a  year  and 
a  half  in  charge  of  the  mission  press.  Just  how  real 
was  the  danger  that  caused  this  temporary  flight  to 
Chefoo,  and  how  imminent,  is  a  secret  that  perhaps 
no  man  clearly  knew,  and  which  certainly  the  mis- 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         283 

sionaries  never  ascertained.  Writing  in  his  Journal, 
just  after  his  return,  concerning  his  reluctant  acquies- 
cence in  the  vote  of  all  except  himself  in  favor  of  going, 
he  says: 

Nevertheless  acquiescence  was  one  of  the  hardest 
trials  of  my  life.  My  mind  was  filled  that  night  with 
a  tumult  of  emotions;  and  I  did  not  sleep  a  wink  till 
the  morning  light  dawned.  I  did  not  know  how 
much  I  loved  Tengchow,  and  perhaps  I  overrated  the 
damage  our  leaving  would  do  to  our  own  cause  here, 
especially  to  our  schools.  I  am  not  sure,  however, 
that  I  did.  The  future  remains  to  be  seen.  God 
may,  and  I  trust  he  will,  turn  it  to  be  a  blessing  both 
to  us  and  to  the  native  Christians.  Aside  from  the 
question  of  the  actual  amount  of  danger  at  that  time 
I  felt  a  strong  aversion  to  going  in  any  case,  unless 
when  my  life  was  in  such  instant  peril  that  there  was 
no  possible  doubt.  ...  I  am  not  yet  convinced, 
however,  and  though  I  do  not  wish  to  make  any  rash 
vows,  yet  I  think  that  I  will  not  fly  from  Tengchow 
again  unless  there  is  a  great  deal  more  imminent 
danger. 

When,  in  1894-95,  the  war  between  Japan  and  China 
raged,  Tengchow  being  a  port  on  the  sea,  and  not  far 
from  Japan,  was  of  course  likely  to  be  a  place  directly 
involved  in  the  hostilities.  The  missionaries  elected 
to  remain  at  their  post,  and  asked  the  consular  agent 
of  the  United  States  at  Chefoo  to  notify  the  proper 
military  official  of  their  presence,  number,  calling, 
and  nationality,  and  to  say  that  in  case  of  attack  they 
would  hoist  the  American  flag  over  the  mission  prem- 
ises, and  that  if  the  Chinese  found  themselves  unable 


284        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER» 

to  defend  the  city  they  would  exert  their  influence  to 
have  it  surrendered  without  loss  of  life.  The  Jap- 
anese did  come,  and  they,  as  a  diversion  from  the 
seizure  of  Wei-hai-wei,  bombarded  the  place  on  three 
successive  days.  As  to  this,  Dr.  Mateer  says  in  his 
autobiographical  sketch  for  his  college  classmates, 
''I  watched  the  progress  of  affairs  from  the  lookout 
on  top  of  my  house,  but  escaped  untouched,  though 
eight  shells  fell  close  around  the  house,  and  one  went 
over  my  head  so  close  that  the  wind  from  it  made  me 
dodge." 

During  the  Boxer  uprising  of  1 899-1 900,  though  the 
movement  originated  in  Shantung,  the  missionaries 
and  native  Christians  of  that  province  suffered  less 
than  in  adjacent  provinces.  The  reason  for  this  is 
that  after  the  murder  of  Brooks  in  1899,  the  anti- 
foreign  governor,  Yu  Haien,  was  at  the  solicitation 
of  the  missionaries  and  the  Foreign  Office  removed. 
Unfortunately  he  was  not  deposed,  but  was  merely 
changed  to  Shansi.  This  accounts  for  the  terrible 
carnage  there.  The  new  governor  of  Shantung,  the 
since  famous  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  did  his  best  to  hold  the 
Boxers  in  check  in  his  own  province,  and  in  the  main 
was  successful.  The  prompt  and  efficient  action  of 
Consul  Fowler,  of  Chefoo,  in  removing  the  mission- 
aries from  the  interior  also  helped  to  save  Hfe.  Still 
it  was  bad  enough  in  the  western  parts  even  of  Shan- 
tung. The  native  Christians  in  many  places  were 
robbed,  beaten,  and  so  far  as  possible  compelled  by 
threat  of  death  to  disown  their  faith.     The  story  of 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         285 

the  destruction  of  the  property  of  the  mission  at  Wei 
Hsien,  and  the  narrow  escape  of  the  missionaries, 
through  the  courage  of  one  of  their  number,  is  about 
as  thriUing  as  any  that  is  told  of  that  period  of  wide- 
spread burning  and  carnage.  In  the  eastern  side  of 
the  province,  beyond  ominous  excitement  at  such 
places  as  Tengchow  and  Chefoo,  there  was  no  serious 
disturbance.  Probably  this  was  due  in  part  to  the 
wholesome  respect  which  the  Chinese  living  not  too 
far  from  the  sea  had  come  to  feel  for  foreign  war 
vessels,  and  for  the  troops  which  they  could  promptly 
disembark. 

Just  before  the  siege  of  Peking  began  Dr.  Mateer 
had  made  his  visit  to  that  city,  to  bury  his  brother 
John.  The  earlier  part  of  1900  he  remained  at  Teng- 
chow quietly  at  his  work,  and  sending  his  orders  just 
as  usual  for  suppHes  needed  by  the  college  and  per- 
sonally. In  July,  by  order  of  the  American  consul, 
the  missionaries  were  brought  down  to  Chefoo  on  a 
gunboat.  Dr.  Mateer  and  Mr.  Mason  Wells,  how- 
ever, Kngered  behind  for  a  while.  It  was  vacation, 
and  Dr.  Mateer  occupied  his  time  with  the  Mandarin 
version.  Among  the  Chinese  a  wild  rumor  gained 
some  currency  that  he  was  leading  an  army  of  many 
thousand  men  to  reheve  Peking;  and  the  fact  that 
his  fiancee  was  shut  up  there  gave  at  least  piquancy 
to  the  report.  Later  he  went  on  down  to  Shanghai, 
and  there  spent  six  months  on  the  Revision  Com- 
mittee ;  and  so  he  did  not  get  back  to  Tengchow  until 
June,  1 901,  when  the  Boxer  uprising  was  at  an  end. 


286         CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

In  a  communication  which  he  pubHshed  in  "The 
Herald  and  Presbyter"  later  in  1900,  he  gave  at 
considerable  length  his  views  as  to  the  causes  of  that 
dreadful  outbreak.  These  do  not  differ  essentially 
from  the  ideas  which  have  come  to  be  generally  ac- 
cepted in  the  United  States.  The  missionary  propa- 
ganda he  frankly  acknowledges  to  have,  by  the  very 
nature  of  its  message,  aroused  the  malignity  of  evil 
men;  and  this  also  to  have  been  much  aggravated  by 
the  habit  of  Roman  Catholics  of  standing  between 
their  converts  and  the  enforcement  of  Chinese  laws; 
but  he  denied  that  this  was  the  main  cause.  He 
holds  that  the  o.utbreak  was  chiefly  due  to  the  tradi- 
tional hatred  of  foreigners;  to  the  territorial  ag- 
gressions of  the  western  nations  in  China;  to  the  ill 
treatment  of  Chinese  abroad  and  in  their  own  ports 
by  foreigners;  and  last,  but  by  no  means  leasts  to  the 
German  operations  in  Shantung,  consisting  of  their 
revenge  for  the  murder  of  some  German  priests,  the 
occupation  of  Kiao-chow,  and  the  survey  and  build- 
ing of  a  railroad  through  the  province.  The  high- 
ha^nded  encroachment  of  Russia  in  Manchuria  and 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  through  that  province, 
and  the  guarding  of  it  by  Russian  troops,  added  fuel 
to  the  flames.  Summing  up,  he  says:  "The  whole 
movement  is  anti-foreign, — against  all  nationalities 
and  occupations,  ministers  of  governments,  consuls, 
merchants,  missionaries,  teachers,  and  engineers, 
railroads,  telegraphs,  churches,  schools,  and  Christian 
converts, — everything  in  short  that  is  in  any  W3.y 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         287 

connected  with  the  detested  foreigner.  It  is  the  con- 
servatism of  old  China  rising  up  and  bracing  itself 
for  one  last  desperate  struggle  to  suppress  the  new 
China  that  is  supplanting  it." 

Another  of  the  trials  that  touched  deeply  his  heart 
was  the  contact  into  which  he  was  brought  with  the 
sufferings  of  the  people  through  famine.  In  1876, 
1877,  and  1878  there  v/as  great  scarcity  in  the  general 
region  of  Tengchow,  and  consequently  the  prices  for 
food  rose  so  high  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  poor 
to  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life.  Dr.  Mateer,  as  also 
other  missionaries,  helped  them  to  the  extent  of  his 
abiHty,  and  became  the  almoner  of  charitable  people 
who  sent  money  from  western  lands  to  buy  food  for 
the  famishing.  But  in  1889  he  was  brought  face  to 
face  as  never  before  in  his  life  v/ith  destitution  in 
China.  The  inconstancy  of  the  Yellow  River  was 
one  cause  of  the  terrible  disaster.  Twice  within 
about  a  third  of  the  nineteenth  century  it  had  changed 
its  bed ;  and  as  a  consequence,  finding  its  new  channel 
too  small  to  carry  off  the  waters  in  times  of  heavy  and 
protracted  rain,  it  had  repeatedly  flooded  vast  dis- 
tricts, often  to  a  depth  of  several  feet,  carrying  de- 
struction to  the  mud  walls  of  the  buildings  and  deso- 
lation to  the  cultivated  ground.  Drought  also  in  a 
portion  of  northwestern  Shantung  had  prevailed  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  prevent  the  growth  and  matur- 
ing of  grains  and  vegetables.  At  last  a  climax  was 
reached  by  these  disasters;  and  it  was  recognized  by 
missionaries  and  others  as  so  awful  in  its  character 


288        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

and  so  vast  in  its  sweep  that  a  Famine  Relief  Com- 
mittee for  Shantung  was  organized,  and  an  appeal 
was  made  for  help  from  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  and  from  the  southern  ports  of  China.  At 
least  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  came  in  response, 
and  it  was  especially  in  connection  with  the  distribu- 
tion of  this  that  Dr.  Mateer  was  brought  into  direct 
personal  contact  with  the  suffering.  Districts  were 
assigned  to  missionaries  and  others,  and  a  careful 
canvass  with  the  aid  of  reliable  helpers  was  made. 
They  ascertained  that  many  tens  of  thousands  of  the 
people  had  wandered  away  from  their  homes,  either 
to  seek  food  or  at  least  to  leave  to  the  more  feeble  and 
helpless  such  sustenance  as  might  yet  remain.  No 
one  ever  was  able  to  form  a  definite  idea  of  the  number 
who  had  died  from  starvation,  either  on  their  wander- 
ings or  at  their  places  of  residence.  The  canvassers 
found  multitudes  trying  to  sustain  life  by  eating  the 
husks  of  grain,  the  seeds  and  roots  of  grasses  and 
weeds,  the  bark  of  trees,  and  the  blades  of  wheat. 
Some  of  those  who  had  been  considered  rich  had  pro- 
vided themselves  with  poison,  so  as  to  take  their  own 
lives  when  they  must  come  to  the  point  where  to  live 
would  be  to  see  their  children  perish  from  starvation. 
The  allowance  furnished  by  the  relief  fund  to  an  in- 
dividual was  fb^ed  at  about  a  cent  a  day  in  all  ordinary 
cases,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  on  this  allowance  at 
least  a  hundred  thousand  lives  were  saved.  On  some 
old,  faded  Chinese  sheets  of  paper,  closely  written  with 
his  own  hand,  the  record  of  a  part  of  Dr.  Mateer's 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         289 

experiences  in  the  famine  canvass,  out  in  northwestern 
Shantung,  has  come  down  to  us.     As  it  is  all  now  a 
thing  of  the  remote  past,  there  probably  would  be  no 
good  in  recording  the  dreadful  details  here.     It  is  a 
story  of  children  reduced  to  skeletons,  eager  to  lick 
up  every  crumb  as  big  as  a  pinhead  that  fell  from  the 
bit  of  coarse  bread  given  them;   of  men  and  women 
falling  down  on  their  knees  and  begging  for  food  for 
their  famihes,  and  bursting  into  tears  at  the  prospect 
of  relief;  of  the  sale  of  wives  and  daughters  to  procure 
something  to  eat;   of  unburied  corpses,  and  of  graves 
just  filled  with  those  who  have  perished.     He  said 
under  date  of  April  9,  1889:   ''It  is  the  hardest  work 
I  ever  did  in  my  hfe.     To  look  all  day  long  on  a  con- 
tinual succession  of  starving  people,  and  to  be  beset 
by  their  entreaties  to  enroll  more  names  than  you  can, 
is  very  hard  on  the  nerves.     There  is  no  end  to  the 
starving  people."     Again,  May  17,  he  said:    ''After 
seven  weeks  and  two  days  I  am  at  last  about  to  leave 
for  Tsinan.     We  have   now   enrolled   about   thirty- 
three  thousand,  and  the  work  of  enrollment  in  this 
place  is  finished."     What  as  to  the  religious  outcome? 
The  impression  made  upon  multitudes  even  in  excess 
of  those  who   received   aid  was  most  favorable  to 
Christianity.     One  of  the  leading  Chinese  assistants 
in  the  work  wrote  to  the  people  who  furnished   the 
aid:  "This  must  be  the  right  religion.     If  not,  why  is 
it  that  the  followers  of  other  religions  do  not  do  such 
things?"     Thus   they  were  willing   to   examine  into 
Christianity,  and  the  more  they  examined,  the  more 
19 


290        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

they  believed,  until  they  were  converted  to  Christ.  As 
an  ultimate  outcome,  several  hundred  were  received 
into  the  churches. 

The  controversies  which  he  had  with  some  of  his 
fellow-missionaries  in  China  were  a  serious  trial  to 
him.  He  was  not  by  inclination  "sl  man  of  war," 
but  in  connection  with  the  prosecution  of  the  mission- 
ary work  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  common  with 
his  brethren,  questions  of  great  practical  and  im- 
mediate importance  arose,  and  as  to  some  of  these  he 
had  strong  convictions  that  were  at  variance  with 
those  of  other  wise  and  able  men  on  the  field.  It  was 
best  for  the  cause  that  these  should  be  thoroughly 
discussed,  and  there  was  much  that  could  be  fairly 
and  earnestly  urged  upon  either  side.  All  that  could 
be  rightly  demanded  was  that  the  ''fighting"  should 
be  open  and  honorable,  and  that  it  should  be  con- 
ducted in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  hinder  the  mission- 
ary work  or  to  descend  into  personal  controversy. 
Dr.  Mateer,  as  to  abihty  and  efiiciency,  stood  in  the 
front  rank  of  those  who  were  giving  their  lives  to  the 
evangelization  of  China.  It  was  his  duty  to  express 
his  views  on  these  questions,  and  to  do  this  in  such  a 
way  that  no  one  could  misapprehend  them.  If  any 
fault  could  be  found  with  him  in  this  matter,  perhaps 
it  would  be  that  he  saw  his  own  side  so  vividly  that 
he  was  not  always  able  to  recognize  the  entire  force 
of  that  which  was  said  in  favor  of  what  ran  counter 
to  it.  Those  who  knew  him  well  and  appreciated  the 
greatness  and  tenderness  of  his  heart  waived  the  sting 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         291 

which  sometimes  seemed  to  be  in  his  words;  but  per- 
haps some  others  who  were  not  so  well  acquai'nted 
with  him  occasionally  winced  under  its  pungency. 
Everyone  who  was  concerned  in  these  discussions, 
long  ago  has  come  to  recognize  him  in  these  as  an 
earnest,  capable  man,  trying   to   do   his  duty  as  he 

saw  it. 

By  far  the  most  protracted  of  these  controversies 
was  over  the  word  that  ought  to  be  used  in  Chinese 
to  express  the  idea  of  God.  Under  date  of  November 
4,  1865,  he  made  this  entry  in  his  Journal:  ''This 
week  I  had  a  note  from  Mr.  Mills,  saying  that  a 
proposition  was  current  at  Peking  to  get  out  a  Union 
New  Testament  in  Mandarin,  and  to  use  in  it  Tien 
Chu  for  God,  and  Sheng  SJien  for  Holy  Spirit,  and 

that  all  but  Mr.  had  signed  it.     I  cannot  sign 

it  at  all;  I  am  utterly  opposed  to  any  such  a  pro- 
ceeding. I  cannot  conscientiously  use  these  words." 
That  was  his  first  gun  in  a  battle  that  for  him  com- 
pletely ended  only  with  his  hfe.  His  contributions 
to  the  discussion  were  sufficient  to  be  in  substance, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  gathered  into  a  separate 
volume.  In  1907  his  ''Letter  Book"  shows  that  he 
was  still  remonstrating  against  a  request  to  the  Bible 
societies  to  employ  for  God  and  for  spirit  Chinese 
terms  that  violated  his  convictions.  His  very  last 
recorded  utterance  on  the  subject  was  in  a  letter  dated 
November  17,  1907.  In  it  he  expresses  his  gratifica- 
tion that  in  an  edition  of  the  New  Testament  for 
China,  issued  by  an  Enghsh  Bible  society,  they  were 


292        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

"  to  use  the  terms  Shen  and  Sheng  Ling  for  God  and 
Spirit."  He  added:  ''This  suits  me.  These  and 
these  only  are  the  right  terms,  and  despite  all  appear- 
ances will  ultimately  win  in  the  really  orthodox  and 
evangelistic  church  of  China."  It  is  not  improbable 
that  the  drift  of  opinion  for  various  reasons  as  to  this 
was  against  him;  but  it  was  in  this  faith  that  he 
died. 

As  to  his  part  in  the  discussion  concerning  what 
came  to  be  known  as  ''Methods  of  Missions,"  no 
more  need  be  said  here  than  that  the  men  who  took 
part  in  this  were  alike  seeking  the  best  solution  of  a 
difficult  problem,  and  never  wavered  in  unbroken 
fellowship  and  confidence  as  comrades  in  the  larger 
work  of  giving  the  gospel  to  China.  It  v/as  not  until 
1905  that  Dr.  Mateer  pubhshed  his  book  on  this 
subject,  and  then  only  when  urged  by  some  of  his 
associates. 

In  the  battle  as  to  Enghsh  in  the  college,  Dr.  Mateer 
had  to  yield  to  the  majority  who  came  into  control 
after  the  removal  to  Wei  Hsien.  He  was  great  enough 
not  to  allov/  the  new  policy  to  chill  his  love  for  the 
institution,  or  to  stay  his  hands  from  such  help  as,  in 
addition  to  his  occupation  with  the  Mandarin  ver- 
sion, it  was  possible  for  him  to  lend  either  by  influence 
or  money,  or  even  by  physical  toil.  In  his  final 
relations  with  the  college  he  proved  himself  to  be  still 
its  loyal  and  generous  supporter. 

It  has  often  been  remarked  that  one  never  meets  a 
foreign  missionary  who  has  thrown  himself  or  herself 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         293 

unreservedly  into  the  work  who  is  unhappy.  They 
are  human,  and  feel  their  trials  often  keenly;  but 
their  faces  shine  with  an  inward  peace,  and  they  re- 
joice over  the  one  sheep,  or  the  many,  whom  they 
have  found  in  the  wilderness  and  v/on  to  Christ. 
When  Dr.  Mateer  advanced  in  age,  and  thought  of 
what  he  had  helped  to  accomplish  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  China,  he  must  have  felt  a  satisfaction  such  as 
seldom  possesses  a  soul.  In  view  of  this  supreme  joy 
it  almost  seems  out  of  place  here  to  tell  of  the  "inci- 
dents by  the  way"  which  ministered  to  his  pleasure. 
One  of  these  consisted  of  the  signs  of  appreciation 
shown  him  by  men  or  bodies  of  men  whose  com^menda- 
tion  meant  something  worth  while.  We  have  seen 
how  the  missionaries  on  the  field  trusted  and  honored 
him  by  calKng  him  to  leadership  in  several  most  im- 
portant enterprises  looking  toward  large  and  perm.a- 
nent  results.  But  others  besides  missionaries  recog- 
nized him  as  worthy  of  their  honors  and  trust.  Han- 
over College  in  1880  conferred  on  him  the  doctorate 
of  divinity.  In  1888  the  University  of  Wooster,  for 
his  ''attainments,  literary  and  scientific,  philosophical 
and  theological,  and  for  his  success  in  his  work  as  a 
Christian  missionary  and  teacher,"  gave  him  the 
doctorate  of  laws.  At  the  centennial  of  his  alma 
mater  in  1902,  Washington  and  Jefferson  College  also 
conferred  on  him  the  doctorate  of  laws,  in  recognition 
of  his  ''distinguished  ability  and  service  as  a  scholar 
and  minister  of  the  gospel."  In  1894,  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society  by  making  him  an  honorary 


294        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

foreign  member  gave  him  an  exceptional  distinction. 
In  August,  1898,  his  lifelong  friend,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  A.  P. 
Martin,  who  had  been  called  to  the  headship  of  the 
new  Imperial  University  planned  for  Peking,  wrote 
to  him,  asking  whether  he  would  accept  the  deanship 
of  the  school  of  engineering;  but  in  reply  he  declined, 
on  the  dual  ground  that  he  was  under  obligation  to 
continue  in  his  missionary  work  and  in  the  translation 
of  the  Scriptures.  In  December  of  the  same  year  he 
received  from  the  "superintendent"  of  the  new  Im- 
perial University  at  Nanking  an  invitation  to  become 
the  "head  master"  of  that  nascent  institution.  Com- 
ing as  this  did  directly  from  that  high  Chinese  digni- 
tary, it  was  an  extraordinary  mark  of  respect  and 
confidence;  but  this  also  he  declined,  and  for  the  same 
reasons  as  in  the  preceding  case.  In  writing  of  these 
offers  he  said  to  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board  of 
Missions : 

Both  these  positions  offered  me  a  salary  much 
greater  than  a  missionary  gets.  Though  not  now 
doing  much  active  work  in  teaching  in  the  college, 
I  yet  feel  that  my  work  and  influence  here  are  very 
important.  Having  embarked  in  the  work  of  Bible 
translation,  I  cannot  turn  my  back  upon  it,  unless  the 
conditions  of  the  work  itself  constrain  me  to  do  so. 
Also  I  am  anxious  to  preach, — especially  to  work  in 
revival  meetings  amongst  the  native  churches.  I 
also  value  highly  the  opportunity  I  have  to  preach 
to  the  students  of  the  college. 

One  of  the  minor  but  notable  honors  that  came  to 
Dr.  Mateer  was  the  celebration  of  his  seventieth 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         295 

birthday  at  Wei  Hsien.  The  Chinese  have  a  curious 
custom  as  to  the  birthday  of  the  emperor,  and  perhaps 
of  other  distinguished  persons;  they  celebrate  it  a 
year,  a  month,  and  a  day  in  advance  of  the  true  date. 
This  custom  was  followed  on  the  occasion  of  Dr. 
Mateer's  seventieth  birthday.  An  eyewitness  has 
given  the  foUomng  graphic  description  of  the  affair: 

The  alumni  and  students  of  the  college  planned  the 
''birthday  party";  and  a  most  elaborate  affair  it 
was.  In  the  morning  a  long  procession  of  hired  re- 
joicers,  with  gay  banners  and  doleful  native  bands, 
marched  into  the  compound  from  the  city  and  were 
re\iewed  at  the  great  gate  by  Dr.  Mateer  and  the 
college  faculty.  Wasn't  it  a  fortunate  thing  that  the 
doctor-of-laws  hood  of  Dr.  Mateer  agreed  so  well  with 
the  Chinese  idea  of  crimson  as  the  most  appropriate 
color  for  any  celebration?  At  the  chapel,  which  was 
packed  to  the  Hmit  with  natives  and  out-of-town 
guests,  presentation  speeches  which  none  but  Orien- 
tals would  ever  have  sat  through,  and  responses  were 
made,  world  without  end.  The  most  successful 
native  pastor  in  this  part  of  China,  who  was  once  Dr. 
Mateer's  table  boy,  spoke  first.  The  highest  officials 
of  the  country  were  present  in  all  their  grandeur, 
looking  properly  haughty  and  impressive, — though  I 
shall  never  cease  feehng  that  the  typical  expression  of 
dignity  and  authority  in  China  resembles  the  Kme-in- 
the-mouth  look  more  closely  than  anything  else.  If 
a  concrete  argument  for  the  existence  of  the  college 
were  necessary,  I  can  think  of  none  better  than  a 
look  at  the  alumni.  Such  splendid,  manly  fellows 
they  were,  with  keen,  intelligent  faces!  Some  have 
become    wealthy    business    men,    who    show    their 


296        CALVIN   WILSON   MATEER 

appreciation;  and  many  are  native  pastors  and 
teachers.  A  double  quartet  of  college  students  fur- 
nished the  music;  and  it  was  remarkable  how  well 
they  sang  the  complicated  part  tunes.  They  have 
had  no  regular  training,  but  have  kept  at  it  by  them- 
selves, and  have  surprised  us  all  by  their  progress. 
But  for  the  music,  the  real,  soul-upUfting  music,  give 
me  the  native  band  I  Imagine  several  bagpipes  and 
flutes,  diminutive  drums,  and  two  or  three  toy  trum- 
pets which  sound  only  one  note;  and  then  conceive 
of  each  player  carrying  on  an  independent  enterprise, 
and  you  may  know  something  about  the  Chinese 
native  band.  It  is  too  rare  for  words.  Large  bunches 
of  firecrackers  fastened  on  tripods,  and  cannon  crack- 
ers, were  used  all  through  the  festivities,  so  that  it 
seemed  exactly  Kke  the  Fourth  of  July.  A  Chinese 
feast  was  given  to  all  the  invited  guests,  and  the 
rabble  from  the  villages  near  by  encamped  on  the 
compound  and  ate  the  lunches  they  had  carried  about 
with  them  all  morning  in  their  handkerchiefs.  It 
was  a  great  day  for  the  college,  and  a  great  occasion 
for  the  village  people;  but  most  demoraKzing  to 
language  study.  The  gold-embroidered,  scarlet  ban- 
ners were  so  many  and  so  immense  that  since  that 
one  day  in  the  church  no  place  has  been  found  suffi- 
ciently large  to  hang  them." 

In  the  general  section  of  China  where  he  lived  he 
made  many  journeys.  Over  that  part  of  Shantung 
situated  to  the  east  of  the  Yellow  River  he  traveled 
often,  and  far  and  wide.  Several  times  he  visited 
Peking.  Once,  as  we  have  seen,  he  went  down  the 
Grand  Canal,  to  Nanking,  and  the  lower  Yangtse. 
Frequently  he  steamed  up  and  down  the  coast  to 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         297 

Shanghai,  and  once  as  far  south  as  Ningpo.  But 
those  immense  and  populous  provinces  situated  in 
the  west  and  south  of  China  he  never  visited,  not 
because  he  was  not  interested  in  them,  or  could  not 
afford  the  expense,  but  because  he  could  not  spare  the 
time.  In  the  spring  of  1868  the  ''Shenandoah,"  an 
American  war  steamer,  came  to  Tengchow  on  its 
way  to  Korea,  where  search  was  to  be  made  for  any 
survivors  that  might  remain  from  the  ''General 
Sherman,"  lost  there  two  years  before.  The  "Shen- 
andoah" wanted  an  interpreter,  and  by  general  con- 
sent the  duty  seemed  to  fall  on  Dr.  Mateer,  so  that 
he  felt  constrained  to  accept,  though  the  health  of  his 
wife  and  other  affairs  rendered  this  very  inconvenient. 
The  cruise  lasted  about  six  weeks,  and  carried  them 
to  several  places  on  the  west  coast  of  Korea,  and 
among  these  to  the  river  Pyeng  Yang,  since  so  familiar 
to  readers  of  missionary  journals,  and  to  those  who 
followed  the  Japanese  troops  on  their  march  against 
the  Russians  in  the  recent  war.  That  was  then  a 
"forbidden  land"  to  foreigners,  and  the  expedition 
found  it  difficult  to  get  into  peaceable  or  forcible  com- 
munication with  officials  or  other  natives,  and  accom- 
plished almost  nothing.  In  the  light  of  the  fuller 
present  knowledge  of  that  politically  unhappy  but 
religiously  hopeful  country  the  observations  of  the 
interpreter  or  of  any  of  the  other  persons  belonging 
to  the  expedition  are  now  of  little  interest. 

Dr.  Mateer  came  back  to  the  United  States  only 
three  times  on  furlough  during  the  more  than  forty- 


298        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

five  years  that  intervened  between  his  saihng  for 
China  in  1863  and  his  death.  The  first  of  these 
absences  from  China  began  in  May,  1879,  and  ended 
about  the  first  of  January,  1881.  Under  the  rule  of 
the  Board  of  Missions  he  was  entitled  to  a  furlough 
home  long  before  that  time,  but  he  felt  that  he  could 
not  sooner  leave  his  work.  He  also  held  the  opinion 
that  there  is  usually  no  sufficient  reason  to  justify  this 
privilege  to  a  young  missionary  so  early  as  is  estab- 
lished custom.  His  wife,  on  account  of  health,  had 
preceded  him  some  six  months.  He  came  by  way  of 
Japan,  and  brought  with  him  two  Mills  children,  their 
mother  having  died.  They  crossed  the  Pacific  on  a 
slow  vessel,  but  the  voyage  was  delightful,  and  in 
about  as  great  a  contrast  as  is  possible  with  his  ex- 
perience on  the  ship  which  originally  carried  him  to 
China.  He  was  made  more  than  comfortable  and  the 
captain  went  out  of  his  way  in  order  to  show  him 
courtesies.  On  arrival  in  the  United  States  his  time 
was  spent  in  the  main  as  by  other  home-coming  mis- 
sionaries,— in  family  reunions,  visiting  here  and  there, 
preaching  to  churches,  addressing  ecclesiastical  meet- 
ings of  various  sorts,  seeking  recruits  among  theo- 
logical students,  and  other  engagements, — the  total 
of  which  so  completely  fill  up  the  time  that  little  is 
left  for  real  rest  and  recuperation.  To  this  customary 
list  he  added  two  other  items, — a  period  spent  in 
attending  medical  lectures  at  Philadelphia,  and  a 
hasty  trip  across  the  Atlantic  to  England  and  to 
Paris. 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         299 

His  second  furlough  extended  from  July,  1892, 
until  October,  1893.  He  went  and  came  by  the 
Pacific  route,  and  was  comfortable  on  these  voyages. 
Julia  was  with  him.  During  that  sojourn  in  the 
United  States,  in  addition  to  the  occupations  usually 
engrossing  the  time  of  a  missionary  on  furlough,  he 
went  to  Chautauqua  and  studied  Hebrew  in  order 
to  fit  himself  better  for  revision  work.  He  also  made 
at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  that  exhaustive 
examination  of  machinery,  and  especially  of  electrical 
appKances,  of  which  Dr.  Corbett,  in  the  quotation 
previously  given,  has  told  us.  One  of  the  greatest 
pleasures  that  came  to  him  on  this  leave  of  absence 
was  the  privilege  of  once  more  seeing  his  mother,  then 
advanced  in  years.  In  the  last  of  his  letters  to  her 
that  have  come  down  to  us  he  mentions  that  he  and 
Julia  are  at  the  writing  just  going  into  the  harbor  at 
Chef 00,  and  he  concludes  by  saying:  "We  are  very 
glad  that  we  are  at  the  end  of  our  journey,  and  back 
again  in  China.  This  is  where  our  work  lies,  and 
this  is  where  we  ought  to  be."  It  was  on  his  arrival 
at  Tengchow  that  his  students  gave  him  that  royal 
welcome  already  described. 

On  September  25,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ada 
Haven,  who  had  been  for  many  years  a  missionary 
of  the  American  Board  at  Peking,  and  as  such  was 
recognized  as  an  accomplished  Chinese  scholar  and  a 
successful  and  highly  esteemed  teacher  in  the  Bridg- 
man  School.  Her  engagement  to  Dr.  Mateer  briefly 
antedated  the  siege  of  Peking,  and  she  was  one  of  the 


300        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

company  of  foreigners  of  whose  fate  the  western 
world  waited  with  bated  breath  to  hear  during  the 
midsummer  of  1900.  In  her  book,  ''Siege  Days,"  she 
has  given  an  inside  view  of  the  experiences  of  herself 
and  of  many  others,  and  as  such  it  has  not  only  a 
passing  but  also  a  permanent  interest  and  value  as  a 
record  of  that  remarkable  episode  of  madness  on  the 
part  of  the  "old"  China.  After  the  relief  of  the  city 
and  a  little  season  of  recuperation  from  the  strain  of 
the  siege,  Miss  Haven  came  down  to  Chefoo,  and  the 
marriage  took  place  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Chefoo,  Dr.  Mateer's  old  friend,  Dr.  Corbett,  per- 
forming the  ceremony.  As  his  wife,  Ada  rendered  him 
valuable  assistance,  by  taking  part  in  the  preparation 
of  the  smaller  book  of  "Mandarin  Lessons."  She 
also  greatly  helped  the  committee  on  the  Mandarin 
version  of  the  New  Testament  by  making  a  Greek  and 
English  concordance  of  their  first  revision.  For  eight 
years  they  two  walked  together;  and  he  had  from 
her  in  his  literary  labors,  as  v/ell  as  in  other  ways,  an 
inspiration  and  often  a  direct  help  of  which  the  world 
outside  of  their  home  can  know  very  little. 

His  last  furlough  extended  from  June,  1902,  to 
August,  1903.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mateer  came  to  the 
United  States  by  way  of  the  Siberian  railroad  and 
the  Atlantic,  so  that  when  he  arrived  in  China  on  his 
return  he  had  a  second  time  gone  around  the  world. 
In  a  letter  written  to  me  in  April,  1908,  he  says,  "We 
went  home  seven  years  ago  by  the  Siberian  railroad, 
and  it  was  exceedingly  comfortable, — much  more  so 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         301 

than  traveling  in  an  ordinary  Pullman  car."  Perhaps 
in  the  interval  that  had  elapsed  the  recollection  of 
the  discomforts  that  attended  the  first  stage  of  that 
journey  had  somewhat  faded  from  his  memory;  or 
he  may  have  had  in  mind  only  the  part  that  lay 
through  Siberia  proper  and  in  European  Russia.  A 
Chinese  naval  officer  v/ho  had  often  come  to  his  study 
to  talk  over  various  matters  had  expressed  a  desire  to 
take  him  and  his  wife  over  to  Port  Arthur  in  a  gun- 
boat when  they  started  on  their  homeward  route. 
The  officer  intended  by  this  only  one  of  those  empty 
compliments  which  Orientals  are  accustomed  to  pay, 
without  any  thought  that  the  offer  involved  would  be 
accepted.  Dr.  Mateer  was  himself  the  soul  of  truth 
and  honor,  and,  being  such,  took  what  this  officer 
said  to  him  at  its  face  value.  So,  in  this  case,  he  sent 
word  of  acceptance  of  the  offer,  but  an  answer  came 
back  that  ''after  all,  it  would  be  inconvenient  to  take 
them  just  then,  and  that  orders  had  been  left  with  a 
Chinese  junk  to  take  them."  The  junk  could  not 
come  in  to  shore  and  they  had  to  go  out  in  a  rowboat. 
When  they  went  aboar.d,  they  found  that  there  was 
no  cabin, — nothing,  indeed,  at  their  command  but  a 
little  hold  about  breast-high,  stowed  full  of  Chinese 
baggage,  some  of  it  consisting  of  malodorous  fish  and 
onions.  In  order  to  make  room  for  them,  the  onions 
were  piled  in  stacks  just  above  on  the  deck ;  but  even 
this  change  left  for  human  occupation  merely  about 
a  cube  of  five  feet.  The  boat  was  crowded  with 
Chinese  passengers,  and  it  poured  down  rain,  from 


302        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

which  the  Mateers  could  protect  themselves  only  by 
hoisting  an  umbrella  over  the  hatchway  which  was  at 
the  same  time  their  only  source  of  ventilation.  It 
was  not  until  the  third  day  that  they  reached  Port 
Arthur. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Dr.  Mateer  that  under 
these  conditions  he  spent  every  moment  of  daylight 
in  putting  final  touches  on  the  manuscripts  of  the 
*' Technical  Terms"  and  of  the  ^Xhemical  Terms," 
so  that  these  might  be  mailed  immediately  to  the 
printer.  They  came  very  near  missing  the  train, 
and  if  this  had  happened  they  would  have  been 
compelled  to  wait  a  week  for  another  opportunity. 
The  railroad  had  but  recently  been  completed  at  that 
end,  and  no  regular  schedule  as  to  service  had  yet 
been  established;  but  with  many  delays  and  with 
various  inconveniences,  after  a  week,  they  reached 
the  point  at  which  they  overtook  an  express  train 
bound  for  Irkutsk.  This  was  luxury  indeed,  com- 
pared with  the  beginning  of  the  journey.  From 
Irkutsk  onward  the  commendatory  language  of  Dr. 
Mateer  was  justified  by  the  accommodations.  The 
Mateers  visited  Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg;  then 
came  on  to  Berlin,  and  thence,  successively,  to 
Diisseldorf,  Cologne,  Paris,  and  London,  the  latter 
place  brilliant  with  preparations  for  the  belated  cor- 
onation of  King  Edward,  which  took  place  while  they 
were  there.  From  Liverpool  they  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  Halifax,  and  then  entered  on  their  American 
vacation. 


INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAY         303 

A  part  of  the  furlough  he  spent  in  efforts  to  secure 
endowment  for  the  Shantung  College.  In  the 
prosecution  of  this  work  he  visited  various  churches, 
and  in  Pittsburg  he  remained  for  six  weeks.  It  was 
during  this  furlough  that  he  sat  as  a  commissioner 
from  his  presbytery  in  the  General  Assembly  at  Los 
Angeles.  Among  other  celebrated  spots  which  they 
included  in  their  itinerary  was  the  Yosemite  Valley. 
But  the  part  of  the  furlough  that  probably  afforded 
them  both  the  most  unalloyed  pleasure  was  spent  in  a 
visit  to  the  region  of  the  ''old  home."  His  wife,  in 
a  letter,  tells  the  story  thus : 

Ever  since  our  marriage  it  had  been  the  cherished 
plan  of  my  husband  to  take  me  on  a  wedding  journey 
when  we  got  to  America, — a  carriage  journey,  to  see 
all  the  spots  familiar  to  his  childhood.  By  planning 
with  this  in  view  we  were  able  to  spend  the  anniversary 
of  our  wedding  in  Mechanicsburg,  with  Calvin's 
cousins.  One  of  these  made  a  feast  for  us.  Many 
were  the  reminiscences  exchanged, — a  happy  binding 
of  past  and  present.  In  a  day  or  two  we  started  on 
the  long-promised  journey,  in  a  ''one-horse-shay,"  a 
journey  of  several  days,  our  stops  at  noon,  and  again 
overnight,  always  being  with  friends  of  his  childhood. 
But  the  friend  to  which  most  of  all  he  wished  to  intro- 
duce me  was  his  beloved  old  Long  Mountain;  and  as 
I  looked  first  at  that,  and  then  at  his  glowing  face,  I 
saw  whence,  next  to  his  Bible  and  catechism,  he  had 
drawn  his  sturdy  love  of  truth  and  freedom.  Either 
on  that  journey,  or  on  subsequent  trips  from  Mechan- 
icsburg or  Harrisburg,  we  visited  all  the  localities 
familiar  to  his  childhood, — his  birthplace,  where  the 


304        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

wall  that  used  to  seem  so  high  to  him  now  appeared  so 
low  to  the  white-bearded  six-footer, — the  brook  where 
the  clover  mill  used  to  stand, — the  Silver  Spring 
church,  where  he  was  baptized,  and  its  adjoining 
graveyard,  where  lie  many  of  his  old  Scotch-Irish 
ancestors,  under  quaint  inscriptions.  ...  It 
rained  hard  the  day  we  visited  the  battle  field  of 
Gettysburg.  This  trip  we  took  in  company  with  an 
old  friend  of  Calvin's,  a  veteran  of  the  war.  Not 
less  interesting  were  the  surroundings  of  his  second 
home,  the  "Hermitage."  Almost  more  noteworthy 
than  the  house  was  the  big  ''bank-barn," — the  mows 
for  hay,  the  bins  for  grain,  the  floor  where  he  used  to 
ride  on  horseback  around  and  around  over  the  grain 
in  order  to  thresh  it,  the  old  workbench,  and,  above, 
the  swallows'  nests.  The  rush  of  memory  was  so 
strong  that  the  white-haired  missionary  could  not 
keep  back  the  tears.  He  showed  me  the  little  old 
schoolhouse,  the  stream  near  by,  the  old  flour  mill, 
within  an  inner  room  of  which  he  and  his  boy  com- 
panions used  to  meet  on  winter  evenings  around  a 
"ten-plate"  stove  for  debate.  Another  place  of  great 
interest  was  the  old  haunted  churchyard,  the  fence  of 
which  he  had  mounted  to  fight  his  battle  with  the 
ghosts,  and  from  which  he  got  down  a  conqueror, 
never  more  to  fear  the  face  of  man  or  devil. 

But  the  most  sacred  of  all  the  spots  which  they 
visited  was  the  grave  of  his  mother,  in  the  cemetery  at 
Wooster,  Ohio. 

From  Seattle  they  sailed  to  Japan,  and  thence  after 
a  short  season  of  fellowship  with  the  venerable  trans- 
lator of  the  Old  Testament,  Bishop  Schereschewsky, 
and  with  other  friends,  they  came  back  to  Tengchow. 


XV 
FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA; 

"China  is  a  great  land,  and  has  a  great  future  before  it.  I 
am  thankful  that  I  have  had  the  opportunity  to  do  what  I 
could  to  make  it  what  it  ought  to  be.  The  Church  of  God  is 
bound  to  have  a  great  triumph  here,  with  great  trials  in  the 
process." — letter  to  james  mooney,  November  27,  1906. 

WHEN  Dr.  Mateer  wrote  that  letter,  the  new 
China  had  not  come.  Nor  has  it  yet  ap- 
peared. The  utmost  that  can  be  said  con- 
fidently is  that  there  are  signs  of  a  spring  thaw  in  the 
vast  sheet  of  ice  that  for  so  many  centuries  has  held 
that  country  in  fetters.  Some  great  rifts  can  be  seen  in 
the  surface  and  sounds  that  are  indicative  of  movement 
can  be  heard.  People  who  stand  on  the  shore,  and  some 
of  those  who  are  on  the  ice,  are  shouting,  ^'Off  at  last!" 
It  seems  scarcely  possible  that  the  apparent  thaw 
shall  not  continue  until  the  streams  are  cleared  and 
the  land  is  warmed  into  new  life  by  the  ascending  sun. 
But  how  long  it  will  be  before  this  is  accomplished 
it  is  almost  useless  for  the  best-informed  men  to 
attempt  to  forecast.  When  the  ice  does  really  go, 
will  it  be  with  a  sudden  rush  that  will  carry  with  it 
great  injury  to  much  that  is  well  worth  preserving? 
Or  will  the  change  come  so  quietly  and  gradually 
that  the  ice  will  sink  without  a  tremor,  and  the  frost 

20  305 


306        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

will  gently  melt  away  into  waters  that  only  freshen 
the  soil?  Probably  the  new  China  is  not  far  away; 
as  sure  as  progress  is  the  law  of  civilization  and  enlight- 
enment in  the  world,  it  cannot  be  postponed  much 
longer.  Dr.  Mateer  Hved  long  enough  to  recognize 
the  signs  of  its  approach,  and  while  he  was  glad  because 
of  this,  he  also  was  deeply  anxious. 

His  direct  acquaintance  with  the  old  China  ex- 
tended over  the  long  period  of  forty  years, — from  his 
arrival  at  Tengchow  in  1863  to  his  return  from  his 
last  furlough,  in  1903.  During  the  five  years  im- 
mediately preceding  his  death  he  was  face  to  face  with 
the  signs  indicative  of  the  China  that  is  to  be.  He 
was  therefore  exceptionally  quahfied  to  speak  in- 
telHgently  concerning  the  present  situation  in  that 
country;  for  it  is  not  the  man  who  now  for  the  first 
time  finds  himself  there,  amid  the  demand  for  rail- 
roads, and  telegraphs,  and  up-to-date  navy  and  army, 
and  schools,  who  is  most  competent  to  interpret  the 
movements  of  the  hour.  We  are  more  likely  to  learn 
the  whole  truth  if  we  turn  to  veterans  like  Sir  Robert 
Hart  and  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin  and  Dr.  Mateer,  who 
by  almost  lifelong  experience  know  the  real  mind 
and  heart  of  China;  which  surely,  notwithstanding 
the  occurrences  of  to-day,  have  not  been  completely 
changed.  On  the  one  hand,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of 
the  love  which  Dr.  Mateer  had  for  the  people  of  China. 
To  promote  their  welfare  in  this  world  as  well  as  in 
the  next  he  gave  himself  to  the  uttermost  all  his  long 
time  of  residence  among  them,  and  when  death  con- 


FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA         307 

fronted  him  at  last,  his  only  reluctance  to  obey  that 
call  of  his  Master  was  because  he  would  be  unable  to 
complete  what  he  regarded  as  perhaps  his  greatest 
service  for  them.  As  we  have  already  seen,  in  his 
explanation  of  the  causes  of  the  Boxer  outbreak,  not- 
withstanding his  heartbreak  and  indignation  for  the 
horrors  and  outrages  perpetrated,  he  lays  bare  the 
secret  of  it,  as  consisting  in  part  of  the  wrongs  done 
by  foreign  nations  and  persons  to  China  and  the  Chi- 
nese. There  were  hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands 
in  Shantung  who  revered  him  as  a  father,  and  confided 
in  him  as  they  did  in  almost  no  other  human  being. 

I  mention  this  side  of  his  attitude  because  there  is 
another  that  must  be  brought  out  here  so  clearly  that 
no  failure  to  see  it  is  possible.  He  never  allowed 
himself  to  be  blinded  as  to  radical  faults  of  the  most 
serious  nature  in  the  Chinese.  It  was  about  the  same 
time  as  his  entrance  on  his  missionary  work  that 
Americans  were  set  agog  by  the  ''Burhngame  Mis- 
sion," and  indulged  in  very  extravagant  notions  of 
the  civilization  of  old  China  and  very  rosy  anticipa- 
tions of  the  future.  Even  missionaries  caught  the 
fever  of  the  hour,  and  for  home  pubHcation  wrote 
articles  that  seconded  this  view.  This  was  so  com- 
pletely foreign  to  the  reality,  as  Dr.  Mateer  saw  it, 
that  he  responded  with  an  elaborate  article  in  which 
he  calmly  punctured  these  current  notions.  It  was 
the  fashion  then  to  regard  the  Chinese  as  leading 
the  world  in  past  ages,  but  in  his  opinion  in  none  of 
their   boasted   achievements   do   they   deserve   such 


308        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

credit.  Largely  they  have  been  imitators;  and  in 
the  realm  of  their  own  inventions  and  discoveries 
and  organizations  they  have  seldom  shown  themselves 
capable  of  making  the  applications  that  ought  to 
have  been  so  patent  to  them  that  they  could  not  miss 
them.  Perhaps — writing  as  he  did  in  reply  to  over- 
drawn appreciations  on  the  other  side — he  may  have 
fallen  into  the  opposite  mistake,  to  some  degree. 
Perhaps  also  in  later  years  he  would  not  have  gone 
quite  so  far  in  the  direction  he  then  took;  but  he 
never  wavered  in  his  opinion  that  in  the  lapse  of  ages 
during  which  the  Chinese  had  lived  so  exclusively 
within  themselves,  characteristics  that  are  racial  have 
been  developed,  some  of  which  must  be  overcome,  and 
others  of  which  must  be  immensely  transformed, 
before  China  can  take  her  place  among  the  advanced 
nations  of  the  world.  Also,  ignorance,  prejudice  and 
superstition  stand  in  the  way,  and  cannot  suddenly 
be  dispelled.  He  continued  to  beheve  that,  notwith- 
standing the  present  rush  to  introduce  western  ap- 
pliances, the  hatred  of  the  foreigner,  except  among  a 
minority,  remains  in  the  heart  of  officials  and  people. 
He  beheved  too  that,  because  of  their  faithlessness  to 
obligations  which  they  had  assumed  toward  other 
governments,  the  apparent  aggressions  of  foreign 
nations  were  not  always  and  altogether  without  a 
measure  of  justification.  Chinese  law  he  considered 
to  be  still  so  much  a  m^ere  whim  of  officials,  often 
corrupt,  that  the  time  has  not  yet  come  for  an  Ameri- 
can   citizen,   whether    missionary  or    merchant  or 


FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA         309 

mechanic,  to  be  left  safely  to  the  uncertainties  of  a 
native  court. 

Dr.  Mateer  was  one  of  the  leading  "makers  of  the 
new  China."  It  is  because  of  his  "Mandarin  Les- 
sons" that  it  is  now,  in  comparison  with  the  olden 
times,  so  easy  to  acquire  the  language;  thus  not 
only  the  missionary  but  also  the  agents  of  modern 
civilization  are  helped  to  gain  speedy  access  to  the 
people.  He  was  the  first  to  plant  a  college  in  the 
great  province  of  Shantung,  the  birthplace  of  Con- 
fucius and  Mencius,  and  still  the  center  to  which  the 
race  turns  as  that  from  which  has  emanated  their 
most  dominant  cult.  He  took  the  lead,  even  of  all 
the  missionary  colleges,  in  the  place  which  he  assigned 
to  physical  science.  With  his  own  money  he  built  a 
museum  which  he  described  as  "a  kind  of  polytechnic, 
for  exhibiting  foreign  sciences  and  machinery  to 
Chinese  students  and  visitors."  There  they  could 
see  the  appliances  of  steam  and  of  electricity  at  work, 
including  a  model  railroad,  and  the  telephone  and 
telegraph.  When  the  governor  of  the  province  or- 
ganized his  university  at  the  capital,  it  was  the  man 
whom  Dr.  Mateer  had  made  his  successor  in  the 
college  at  Tengchow  who  was  at  first  placed  at  its 
head,  and  five  of  the  graduates  were  chosen  to  fill 
chairs  in  the  new  institution.  He  prepared  text- 
books in  mathematics,  for  which  there  is  an  enormous 
demand  in  the  schools  which  are  supplanting  those 
of  the  olden  time.  To  him  more  than  to  any  other 
individual  is  due  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament 


SIO        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

into  a  form  of  the  language  which  is  just  as  intelHgible 
to  the  man  who  can  read  but  Httle,  as  to  the  educated ; 
and  which  cannot  be  widely  circulated  without  start- 
ing upward  tendencies  more  mighty  than  those  of 
railroads  and  western  machinery.  It  would  be  pre- 
posterous to  claim  for  any  one  person  that  he  has  been 
the  maker  of  the  new  China;  but  there  are  not  very 
many  who,  as  to  the  mighty  transformation  appar- 
ently not  far  distant,  rank  so  high  up  as  Dr.  Mateer. 
Thus  far  in  holding  him  up  as  one  of  these  leaders 
I  have  not  mentioned  his  influence  as  an  effective 
missionary  in  the  sphere  usually  occupied  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  gospel;  and  for  the  reason  that,  as 
to  this,  he  is  a  sharer  with  a  multitude  of  others.  At 
present  there  must  be  about  four  thousand  men  and 
v/om.en — ordained  ministers,  and  lay  men  and  women 
— in  that  line  of  Christian  service  in  China,  and  there 
are  about  two  hundred  thousand  Chinese  Christians. 
These,  though  scattered  far  and  wide  among  the 
hundreds  of  milKons  of  the  population,  are  sufficient 
to  be  powerfully  felt  on  the  side  of  genuine  progress. 
Though  in  rapidly  lessening  numbers,  their  presence 
stretches  back  to  the  coming  of  Robert  Morrison,  a 
hundred  years  ago.  Dr.  Mateer's  own  judgment  as 
to  the  relation  of  the  missionary  work  to  the  present 
situation  is' well  worth  attention.  In  an  article  written 
by  request,  about  nine  months  before  his  death,  he 
said: 

The  nation  is  in  a  state  of  transition  which,  when 
compared  with  her  past  and  her  traditions,  is  nothing 


FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA         311 

short  of  marvelous.  Who  would  have  predicted 
thirty-five  years  ago  that  such  a  state  of  things  as  the 
present  would  so  soon  prevail?  God  has  used  a 
variety  of  powerful  forces  to  awaken  China  from  her 
long  sleep,  not  the  least  of  which  have  been  the  pres- 
ence and  influence  of  the  missionary.  Aside  from  his 
main  business,  which  is  the  conversion  of  individuals 
and  the  upbuilding  of  churches,  he  has  had  a  powerful 
influence  in  a  number  of  important  matters.  First, 
his  residence  in  all  parts  of  inland  China  has  done  far 
more  than  is  generally  known  to  remove  prejudice 
and  to  famiharize  the  people  with  foreign  ^ ideas  and 
things.  Second,  he  has  been  a  main  factor  in  starting 
the  anti-foot-binding  movement  that  is  now  sweeping 
over  the  land.  Third,  he  has  been  the  chief  mover 
in  the  remarkable  anti-opium  reformation  that  is  now 
enlisting  the  utmost  effort  of  the  Chinese  government. 
Lastly,  in  the  intellectual  awakening,  and  in  starting 
the  wonderful  educational  propaganda  now  being 
pushed  forward  by  the  government,  he  has  been  a 
potent  factor.  Missionaries  have  made  the  text- 
books, and  the  graduates  of  their  schools  have  set  the 
pace  for  this  remarkable  movement;  and  this  has 
been  done  notwithstanding  the  intense  prejudice  that 
exists  against  Christianity  and  its  professors. 

Of  the  fact  that  he  was  face  to  face  with  a  state  of 
things  that  promised  tremendous  changes  he  was 
fully  conscious.  No  man  could  have  been  more  alive 
to  his  environment  during  these  last  years  of  his  Hfe. 
May  2,  1905,  he  wrote  to  a  generous  friend  in  the 
United  States:  "The  state  of  things  in  China  to-day 
presents  a  great  contrast  with  what  it  was  when  I 
arrived  here  forty-one  and  a  half  years  ago.     Then 


312        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

everything  was  dead  and  stagnant;  now  all  is  life  and 
motion.  It  is  just  fairly  beginning,  it  is  true,  but 
there  is  the  promise  of  great  things  in  the  near  future." 
September  i,  1907,  in  another  letter  to  a  friend,  he 
says:  ''This  great  and  massive  people,  so  long  below 
the  horizon  of  the  western  world, — a  misty,  unknown 
land, — is  looming  large  in  the  east,  and  the  eyes  of  the 
west  are  on  it.  China  is  awakening  from  the  sleep  of 
ages.  Her  senses  are  still  dull,  benumbed  by  the 
traditional  customs  and  conservative  folKes  of  the 
past,  but  her  eyes  are  opening  more  and  more,  day  by 
day.  It  is  true  she  still  wants  to  sleep  on,  but  she 
cannot.  The  clamor  of  the  world's  progress  dins  in 
her  ears.  Giant  hands  are  shaking  her.  Specters 
fill  her  imagination  and  groundless  fears  make  her 
troubled.  She  essays  to  rise,  but  has  no  strength. 
She  is  growing  frantic  at  the  realization  of  her  own 
weakness  and  incompetence." 

Facing  the  new  China  he,  while  gladdened  on  the 
whole  by  the  outlook,  yet  saw  grave  dangers  in  the 
way.  Some  of  these  are  due,  in  his  estimation,  to 
characteristics  that  have  rooted  themselves  very 
deeply  in  the  spirit  of  the  people  at  large.  In  his 
article  on  ''Education  in  China"  he  said: 

It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Chinese  character  that  they 
are  very  hard  to  convince  of  the  utility  of  a  new  thing, 
and  must  always  be  doubly  sure  before  they  decide 
to  act;  but  as  soon  as  the  decision  is  made,  they  at 
once  grow  recklessly  impatient  for  the  consummation. 
The   old  educational  methods   and  ideals   are  now 


FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA         313 

abolished  and  the  government  is  rushing  headlong 
into  new  and  hitherto  untried  measures.  They  issue 
commands  to  their  subordinates  without  providing 
the  means  of  carrying  them  out.  The  result  is  a 
chaos  of  more  or  less  futile  effort,  attended  by  burden- 
some taxes  and  illegal  exactions  that  produce  disaffec- 
tion and  rebellion.  The  lack  of  competent  teachers 
handicaps  the  whole  movement.  To  the  eye  of  a 
western  educator  most  of  their  primary  and  secondary 
schools  are  little  short  of  a  farce.  Mission  schools 
have  trained  a  large  number  of  competent  teachers, 
but  in  most  cases  the  prejudice  against  Christianity 
is  so  strong  that  heathen  schools  will  not  use  them. 
This  prejudice  is  much  stronger  in  the  secondary 
schools  than  it  is  in  the  provincial  colleges  and  uni- 
versities. The  high  officials  generally  take  more 
liberal  views,  and  they  are  free  from  the  social  ostra- 
cism that  prevents  a  small  official  or  a  private  gentle- 
man from  employing  a  Christian  teacher. 

On  account  of  the  characteristics  just  described, 
while  he  rejoiced  in  the  immense  progress  which 
Christianity  was  making  both  in  the  conversion  of 
increasing  thousands  and  also  in  its  indirect  influence 
over  multitudes  more,  he  had  anxieties  as  to  the  near 
future  of  the  church  in  that  land.  Writing  to  one  of 
the  secretaries  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  in 
January,  1906,  he  said:  "If  I  understand  the  signs 
of  the  time  in  China,  it  will  not  be  many  years — I 
put  it  at  ten  to  fifteen — until  the  Chinese  church  will 
declare  her  independence  of  the  missionaries,  pay 
her  own  expenses,  and  make  her  own  creed.  .  .  . 
What  this  creed  will  be,  will  depend  very  much  on 


314        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

the  kind  and  number  of  preachers  we  train  in  the 
meantime."  The  speeches  made  at  the  Chinese 
Students'  AlKance,  held  at  Hartford,  August  24,  1910, 
both  by  the  Chinese  and  by  Americans,  indicate  a 
very  strong  tendency  in  this  direction. 

In  view  of  the  entire  situation,  national  and  re- 
ligious, he  iterated  and  reiterated  that  the  most 
imperative  duty  of  missionaries  in  China  at  present 
is  the  training  of  native  preachers  and  teachers  on  a 
scale  and  in  a  manner  that  will  fit  them  to  meet  the 
emergency,  and  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  land  and  the  starting  of 
the  church  that  soon  must  be,  on  a  voyage  that  will 
not,  through  lack  of  chart  and  compass  and  proper 
guidance,  wreck  itself  on  the  way.  Here  are  some  of 
his  deliberate  utterances  within  the  last  three  years 
of  his  life: 

Allow  me  to  say  that  at  the  present  time  in  China  I 
regard  schools  and  the  training  of  teachers  and 
preachers  as  the  chief  thing, — much  more  important 
than  the  founding  of  new  stations,  with  expensive 
buildings,  in  order  to  cover  new  territory.  This  is 
not  a  passing  thought,  but  is  said  advisedly.  The 
time  for  training  these  teachers  and  preachers  is 
limited;  before  many  years  the  native  church  will 
'  declare  her  independence,  when  all  will  depend  on  the 
I  intelligence  and  soundness  of  her  leaders. 

Again  taking  a  view  that  includes  the  church,  but 
that  is  so  broad  as  to  sweep  over  the  entire  national 
situation,  he  said: 


FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA         315 

"China  is  fascinated  by  the  power,  skill,  and  knowl- 
edge of  the  west.  She  covets  these  things,  and 
clamors  impatiently  for  them,  but  they  do  not  come 
at  her  call.  She  has  caught  up  the  idea  that  education 
will  solve  the  problem  and  speedily  lift  her  into  the 
family  of  nations.  She  issues  edicts  to  annul  the  old 
and  inaugurate  the  new.  She  commands  the  opening 
of  schools  in  every  county,  not  realizing  that  without 
teachers,  or  methods,  or  money  efhcient  schools  are 
impossible.  True  to  her  character,  she  is  deceiving 
herself  with  a  sham;  a  mere  pretense  of  knowledge. 
The  old  is  passing  faster  than  the  new  is  coming,  and 
there  are  ominous  signs  of  danger  ahead.  There  are 
already  a  good  many  cornpetent  Christian  teachers 
in  China,  and  very  few  others ;  but  Chinese  conserva- 
tism hates  and  fears  Christianity,  and  will  not  employ 
Christian  teachers  if  it  can  possibly  be  avoided. 
China  has  still  one  great  and  fundamental  lesson  to 
learn,  namely:  that  Christianity  is  not  her  enemy, 
but  her  friend;  that  faithful  and  honest  men  are  not 
made  by  simply  teaching  them  geometry  and  chem- 
istry. She  will  presently  learn,  however,  that  Chris- 
tianity holds  the  only  patent  there  is  for  the  con- 
struction of  high  moral  character.  She  resents  the 
idea  now,  but  sooner  or  later  she  will  be  compelled  to 
admit  it.  In  the  meantime  she  needs  men  to  teach 
her,  and  to  show  her  the  way.  Never  perhaps  in  the 
world's  history  was  the  saying  of  Christ  more  con- 
spicuously exemphfied:  "The  harvest  truly  is  plente- 
ous, but  the  laborers  are  few." 

Ever  since  he  set  foot  on  the  soil  of  that  country  he 
had  kept  on  pleading  for  reinforcements  in  his  work, — 
now  a  physician,  then  a  teacher,  again  a  man  capable 
of  overseeing  mechanical  operations,  and  always  more 


316        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

ordained  missionaries.  He  entertained  very  common- 
sense  notions  as  to  the  sort  of  reinforcements  that  are 
desirable.  He  says  in  an  old  letter  directed  to  theo- 
logical students  in  the  seminary  where  he  was  trained : 
''I  might  add  more  especially  that  missionaries  should 
not  be  men  of  one  idea,  unless  perchance  that  idea  be 
a  zeal  for  saving  souls.  The  men  needed  are  those 
who  have  well-balanced,  practical  minds.  .  .  .  The 
man  of  vivacious  temperament,  pleasing  address, 
ready  wit,  and  ready  utterance,  other  things  being 
equal,  will  make  the  best  missionary."  The  language 
he  did  not  regard  as  at  all  beyond  the  acquisition  of 
any  person  with  fair  ability  and  faithful  application, 
though  he  recognized  more  than  a  moderate  measure 
of  these  as  essential  to  the  writing  of  books.  As  the 
new  China  loomed  up  before  him,  his  cry  for  help 
became,  if  possible,  more  earnest;  it  came  from  the 
very  depths  of  his  soul,  and  with  an  intensity  which 
words  could  not  adequately  express. 

Before  proceeding  to  relate  the  story  of  his  death, 
can  I  do  better  than  to  give  the  last  of  these  appeals 
of  which  we  have  the  records?  The  letter  from  which 
I  quote  is  dated  Wei  Hsien,  September  i,  1907,  just 
a  year  before  his  Master  called  him  home.     He  said: 

Tell  the  young  men  of  America  for  me,  that  China 
now  presents  to  the  church  the  greatest  opportunity 
of  the  ages.  God  has  opened  the  door, — opened  it 
wide.  Three  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  people 
are  ready  to  hear  the  gospel  message.  This  door  has 
not  been  opened  without  great  strife  and  effort.     In 


FACING  THE  NEW  CHINA         317 

the  face  of  steady  and  persistent  opposition,  and 
through  much  suffering  and  bloodshed,  a  large  and 
lasting  impression  has  been  already  made.  The  dark 
and  discouraging  days  are  over  and  the  future  is 
bright  with  promise.  As  I  look  back  over  the  first 
twenty-five  years  of  my  missionary  life,  it  seems  like 
a  troubled  dream.  The  last  fifteen  years  have 
wrought  wonders  in  China.  Old  customs  and  preju- 
dices are  giving  way.  The  bright  dawn  of  better 
things  is  upon  us.  The  most  conservative  and  im- 
movable people  in  the  world,  persistently  wedded  to 
the  old  ways,  are  getting  used  to  new  things,  and 
are  ready  to  accept  whatever  promises  profit  and 
prosperity.  All  ears  are  open,  and  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  is  nowhere  opposed  or  resisted.  I  often 
wish  I  were  young  again,  just  ready  to  start  in 
on  the  bright  opening  campaign.  In  a  large  sense 
the  future  of  the  church  and  of  the  world  lies 
wrapped  up  in  this  great  people.  Why  in  the 
providence  of  God  the  gospel  of  salvation  has  not 
long  ere  this  reached  this  oldest  and  greatest  nation 
is  an  unexplained  mystery.  These  unconverted  mil- 
lions of  the  Mongolian  race  will  presently  come 
into  their  inheritance  of  truth  and  grace,  and  then 
who  shall  say  what  they  will  become,  and  do?  Their 
fecundity,  their  physical  stamina,  their  patient  per- 
sistence and  intellectual  vigor,  are  factors  that  will 
count  in  the  world's  future  history.  .  .  .  As  I 
look  at  the  situation  in  the  light  of  the  past,  and 
forecasting  the  probabilities  of  the  future,  a  more 
inviting  field  for  the  exercise  of  consecrated  talent 
has  rarely,  if  ever,  presented  itself  in  the  history  of 
civilization.  Very  few  people  in  the  church  in  the 
west  understand  and  appreciate  the  present  condi- 
tion of  things  in  China.     The  political  forces  and 


318        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

problems  are  better  understood  than  the  moral  and 
religious.  It  is  still  true  that  "the  children  of  the 
world  are  wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children 
of  light."  The  faith  of  the  long,  old  centuries  is 
passing  rapidly  away,  but  what  shall  the  new  faith 
be?  This  is  the  great  Christian  question  of  the  hour. 
The  young  men  of  China  are  mad  to  learn  English, 
because  there  is  money  in  it.  With  English  come 
books  and  newspapers,  sowing  the  seeds  of  agnosti- 
cism, and  skepticism,  and  rationalism,  and  so  forth. 
The  cry  is,  Who  will  champion  the  truth?  Who  will 
administer  the  antidote?  Who  will  uphold  the  cross? 
Who  will  testify  for  Christ?  The  call  is  urgent. 
Satan  is  in  the  field.  The  opportunity  is  passing. 
The  time  is  strategic.  The  changes  of  many  years 
are  now  crowded  into  one.  Young  men,  it  is  time 
to  be  up  and  doing!  The  march  of  events  will  not 
wait  on  your  tardiness.  Who  will  hear  the  Master's 
trumpet  call? 


XVI 
CALLED  UP  HIGHER 

"I  have  given  my  life  to  China:  I  expect  to  live  there,  to 
die  there,  and  to  be  buried  there." — from  his  farewell  ad- 
dress IN  the  central  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  Allegheny, 
Pa.,  1862. 

"I  expect  to  die  in  heathen  China,  but  I  expect  to  rise  in 
Christian  China." — another  farewell  address. 

N  the  chapter  on  the  Mandarin  revision  we  left 
the  committee  on  the  Old  Testament,  in  the 
summer  of  1908,  at  work  on  Genesis  and  the 
Psalms,  down  at  Chef 00,  with  the  Goodrich  and  the 
Mateer  family  keeping  house  together.  Dr.  Good- 
rich had  been  the  dean  of  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  at  Peking,  and  so  w^as  thoroughly  versed 
in  the  educational  phase  of  missions,  still  occupying 
so  large  a  place  in  the  heart  and  mind  of  Dr.  Mateer. 
These  two  men  also  had  served  together  on  the  revision 
of  the  New  Testament,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end. 
They  were  in  many  features  of  their  character  very 
different  from  each  other,  and  yet  in  their  common 
labors  and  in  their  convictions  they  were  in  thorough 
harmony.  Mrs.  Goodrich  and  Mrs.  Mateer  had  come 
out  on  the  same  steamer  in  1879,  to  join  the  forces 
of  the  American  Board,  as  unmarried  missionaries; 
and  the  subsequent  years  had  served  to  cement  their 
friendship.     The   house   in   which    they   resided   at 

319 


320        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

Chefoo  during  that  summer  looked  out  on  a  charming 
scene:  the  ''island,"  the  bay,  and  the  passage,  with 
craft  of  all  kinds,  Chinese  junks  and  sampans,  and 
steamers,  small  torpedo  boats,  and  big  battleships 
of  every  nation,  either  riding  at  anchor  or  coming 
up  into  the  harbor.  From  the  back  windows  the 
eye  rested  on  a  jagged  range  of  hills,  crowned  at  the 
top  by  a  curious  wall,  so  Hke  the  views  of  the  Great 
Wall  shown  in  pictures  that  ignorant  sailors  imagined 
it  to  be  that  famous  structure.  One  can  easily  under- 
stand that  under  such  circumstances  the  two  families 
greatly  enjoyed  the  earlier  part  of  the  session  of  the 
committee.  Dr.  Goodrich,  in  the  following  quotation 
from  the  article  which  he  published  in  the  January 
issue  of  ''The  Chinese  Recorder,"  in  memory  of  Dr. 
Mateer,  had  in  mind  his  entire  acquaintance  with 
him,  extending  over  thirty-five  years,  but  it  is  tinged 
especially  with  the  recollection  of  the  preceding  sum- 
mer.    He  says: 

Much  of  the  time  we  have  been  together  in  the  pro- 
tracted daily  sessions  of  the  committee,  as  well  as  in 
the  long  evening  walks,  when  we  talked  on  everything 
between  the  zenith  and  the  nadir;  for  then  his 
thoughts  were  "ready  to  fly  East  as  West,  whichever 
way  besought  them."  If  he  were  not  widely  read, 
he  had  thought  widely  and  deeply,  being  at  once  con- 
servative, progressive,  and  original.  He  had  strong 
opinions,  and  was  at  times  severe  and  stern  in  main- 
taining them.  But  he  loved  those  of  a  contrary 
opinion  with  a  true  and  deep  affection.  From  first 
to  last  he  was  a  royal  friend.     Dr.  Mateer  thought 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  321 

naturally  in  terms  of  logic  and  mathematics,  but  not 
without  a  side  in  his  nature  for  poetry  and  sentiment. 

Dr.  Mateer's  character,  especially  during  the  later 
years,  was  constantly  mellowing,  and  the  past  summer, 
which  our  two  families  spent  together  in  our  own 
''hired  house"  at  Chefoo,  must  ever  be  remembered 
as  one  of  the  happiest  periods  of  our  lives,  without  a 
break  or  jar  to  mar  its  enjoyment.  Was  it  a  sort  of 
unconscious  preparation  for  the  sweeter  joys  and  more 
perfect  fellowship  in  the  dear  upper  home? 

Dr.  Mateer  worked  on  with  his  usual  untiring 
faithfulness,  during  the  last  summer,  though  not 
quite  well  at  times.  How  he  lived  in  the  Psalms, 
upon  which  he  bestowed  loving  labor!  Sometimes 
he  would  look  out  from  his  httle  study  to  the  room 
which  held  all  too  closely  his  beloved  wife,  who  has 
followed  the  Bible  revision  with  an  interest  scarcely 
less  intense  than  his  own,  and  consult  with  her  on 
some  difhcult  phrase,  or  tell  her  of  some  beautiful 
figure  he  had  succeeded  in  translating. 

In  the  early  morning  we  took  a  dip  in  the  sea — he 
was  a  good  swimmer — and  after  he  had  ''talked  with 
Him,"  at  six  o'clock  he  was  ready  for  his  teacher. 
In  the  evening  his  walks  were  less  regular  and  shorter 
than  in  other  years. 

In  explanation  of  one  sentence  of  the  preceding  it 
needs  to  be  stated  that  by  an  accident  Mrs.  Mateer 
was  then  so  disabled  that  she  kept  her  room. 

During  the  summer  he  suffered  from  a  chronic 
tendency  to  dysenteric  diarrhea,  yet  it  was  not  until 
well  toward  the  close  of  the  session  of  the  Committee 
that  he  remained  in  bed  for  the  entire  day.  At  first 
he  worked  on  there,   upon   the   translation  of   the 

21 


322        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

Psalms,  which  he  was  especially  anxious  to  give  to 
the  people  in  such  language  that  they  could  readily 
catch  it  with  the  ear,  and  that  the  Psalms  might  be 
to  the  Chinese  church  the  rich  heritage  they  are  to 
the  EngHsh-speaking  race.  At  length  it  became 
evident  that  his  case  was  fast  becoming  so  critical 
that  if  medical  aid  under  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions could  save  his  Hfe,  the  very  best  that  could  be 
had  must  be  secured  at  once.  So  it  was  decided  that 
he  ought  to  go  on  a  steamer  down  to  Tsingtao  in  the 
German  concession.  It  would  require  twenty-four 
hours  to  make  the  trip;  but  when  asked  whether  he 
was  able  to  endure  the  journey,  he  rephed:  ''I  must. 
I  shall  die  if  I  remain  here." 

The  necessity  for  the  change  was  not  due  to  any 
lack  of  medical  care  or  friendly  ministrations  at 
Chefoo;  it  was  made  in  order  to  secure  the  superior 
advantages  which  a  good  hospital  affords.  For- 
tunately the  voyage  was  quiet.  His  wife  went  with 
him;  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Goodrich  also  accompanied 
them.  It  was  Tuesday  night  when  they  reached 
Tsingtao,  and  friends  were  at  the  landing;  and,  sup- 
ported in  loving  arms,  he  was  carried  at  once  in  a 
carriage  to  the  Faber  Hospital,  where  Dr.  Wunsch, 
a  skilled  physician,  exhausted  his  efforts  to  save  him. 
Dr.  Hayes  was  already  there,  and  at  Dr.  Mateer's 
request  spent  each  day  in  the  hospital. 

Friday  of  that  week  was  the  anniversary  of  their 
marriage,  but  it  was  impracticable  for  his  wife  to  be 
brought  to  his  bedside.     Saturday  it  became  evident 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  323 

that  the  end  was  not  far  away,  and  she  was  permitted 
to  see  him;   and  he  seemed  so  comforted  by  her  pres- 
ence, though  he  was  too  weak  to  talk  much,  that  they 
allowed  her  to  stay.     In  response  to  a  telegram,  his 
brother  Robert  and  Madge,  his  wife,  came  at  once. 
Saturday  afternoon  his  mind  wandered,  and  seemed 
to  run  on  the  affairs  of  the  college.     Sunday  morning 
he  asked  Robert  to  pray  with  him;  and  in  connection 
with  this  one  of  the  great  passions  that  had  long 
possessed  him  manifested  itself.     As  on  the  journey 
down  on  the  boat  he  lay  exhausted,  he  had  said  to 
Dr.  Goodrich:   ''They  must  do  their  best  to  cure  me 
at  the  hospital,  so  that  I  can  finish  the  Psalms.     That 
is  all  I  have  to  live  for  now  "—meaning,  of  course, 
by  this,  only  the  work  to  which  he  had  given  himself. 
Now,  when  his  brother  in  his  prayer  asked  that  the 
sufferer  at  whose  bedside  he  knelt  might  be  given  an 
abundant  entrance  into  the  heavenly  rest,  Dr.  Mateer 
cried  out:   ''Raise  your  faith  a  notch  higher,  Robert. 
Pray  that  I  may  be  spared  to  finish  the  translation  of 
the  Psalms."     Then  he   asked   that  Dr.   Hayes  be 
called  in,  and  he  requested  him  to  pray  for  this;  and 
when  this  was  done  he  added,  "O  Lord,  may  this 
prayer  be  answered!" 

On  Sabbath  when  some  of  his  "boys,"  alumni  of 
the  Shantung  College,  who  were  living  in  the  town 
came  to  see  him,  he  was  so  weak  that  he  could  only 
say  to  them,  "Good-by." 

All  those  last  days  he  took  great  comfort  in  prayer. 
As  he  gradually  went  down  into  the  shadow  of  death, 


324        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

his  faith  continued  firm  and  bright.  To  an  inquiry 
by  his  wife  as  to  his  trust  in  Christ,  he  repHed:  ''Yes, 
I  have  nothing  to  fear."  Some  time  before  the  end 
he  said  to  his  brother  Robert,  ''I  have  laid  up  all  in 
my  Father's  keeping."  The  very  last  words  which  he 
was  heard  distinctly  to  articulate  were  indicative  of  a 
passion  that  possessed  his  soul  even  far  more  strongly 
than  his  desire  to  complete  his  work  on  the  Scriptures. 
Those  who  knew  him  most  intimately  recognized  in  him 
a  man  of  extraordinary  reverence  for  God, — for  him 
whom,  from  his  childhood's  memorizing  of  the  cate- 
chism on  to  the  end,  he  believed  to  be  infinite,  eternal, 
and  unchangeable  in  his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holi- 
ness, justice,  goodness,  and  truth.  He  was  one  of 
those  who  in  the  public  services  of  a  house  of  worship 
always  stood  in  prayer,  though  about  him  all  might 
be  sitting  in  their  seats.  He  thought  no  other  posture 
except  kneehng  or  standing  appropriate  in  this  act 
of  social  worship.  His  whole  conception  of  religion, 
theoretical  and  practical,  was  saturated  with  a  holy 
fear  of  God.  To  him  God  was  his  heavenly  Father, 
who  has  manifested  himself  above  all  else  in  the 
person  and  work  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  unto  whom  he 
constantly  turned  with  holy  boldness;  but  whenever 
he  came  consciously  into  the  divine  presence  he  was 
devoutly  reverent.  It  was  in  keeping  with  his  whole 
religious  life,  therefore,  that  his  last  audible  words, 
were  ''Holy!  Holy!  True  and  Mighty!"  Then— 
not  long  afterward — he  fell  asleep.  He  died  at  10:25 
in  the  morning  of  September  28,  1908. 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER 


325 


Among  his  papers  a  little  book  was  found  which 
when  it  was  opened  proved  to  be  a  collection  of  private 
prayers  recorded  in  1863,  the  year  in  which  he  went 
to  China.    The  last  of  these  prayers  is  the  following: 

Permit  not  the  great  adversary  to  harass  my  soul, 
in  the  last  struggle,  but  make  me  a  conqueror    and 
more  than  a  conqueror   in   this  fearful  coutuct     1 
humbly  ask  that  my  reason  may  be  continued  to 
the  last,  and  if  it  be  Thy  will,  that  I  may  be  so  com- 
forted and  supported  that  I  may  leave  testmony  in 
favor  of  the  reality  of  religion,  and  thy    aithf u  ness 
in  fulfiUing  thy  gracious  promises,  and  that  others 
of    hy  servants  who  may  follow  after,  may  be   en- 
couraged by  my  example  to  commit  themselves  boldly 
to  the'guidanJand  keeping  of  the  Shepherd  of  IsraeL 
And  when  my  spirit  leaves  this  clay  tenement.  Lord 
Tesus  receive  it      Send  some  of  the  blessed  angels 
Jrconducrmy  inexperienced  soul  to  the  niansion 
wbirh  thv  love  has  prepared.     And  oh,  let  me  be  so 
SuSeEhough  in  the  lowest  rank,  that  I  may  behold 
thy  glory! 

This  prayer,  which  in  his  young  manhood  he  had 
recorded  in  that  little  book,  was  fulfilled  so  far  as  its 
petitions  concerned  his  end  upon  earth;  and  who 
doubts  that  equally  fulfilled  were  also  those  petitions 
which  looked  forward  to  his  entrance  upon  the  eternal 

'  At  Tsingtao  a  funeral  service  was  held  in  the  little 
Chinese  Presbyterian  chapel.  Among  those  present 
were  Rev.  Dr.  Bergen  and  Rev.  W.  P.  Chalfant  from 
the  Shantung  Presbyterian  Mission,  then  holding  a 


S26        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

meeting  at  Wei  Hsien,  representatives  from  the  Basel 
and  Berlin  Protestant  Missions,  and  a  large  number  of 
Chinese.  After  the  casket  was  placed  in  the  church, 
former  students  of  the  Shantung  College  came  in 
with  long  wreaths  of  immortelles,  and  so  festooned 
these  about  the  cofhn  that  they  could  remain  on  the 
journey  yet  to  be  taken.  Addresses  were  delivered 
in  both  English  and  Chinese,  and  were  full  of  apprecia- 
tion for  the  missionary  just  gone  up  higher.  The 
Chinese  speakers  were  some  of  his  own  ''boys,"  who 
then  testified  to  their  appreciation  of  their  ''old 
master,"  as  they  were  accustomed  to  call  him.  After 
the  service  the  casket  was  taken  to  the  same  steamer 
on  which  he  had  been  brought  down,  and  thus  was 
removed  to  Chefoo,  in  care  of  his  brother  Robert  and 
Mr.  Mason  Wells.  That  evening  the  casket  was 
escorted  by  a  number  of  Chinese  Christian  young  men 
to  the  rooms  of  the  Naval  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association;  and  the  next  morning  to  Nevius  Hall, 
on  Temple  Hill,  where  it  remained  until  the  time  of 
burial,  covered  with  flowers  provided  by  loving  hands. 

During  this  delay  the  missionaries  up  at  Tengchow 
had,  in  response  to  a  telegram,  exhumed  the  remains 
of  Julia,  and  caused  them  to  be  transferred  to  Chefoo, 
where  they  were  placed  in  the  vault  prepared  in  the 
cemetery.  Her  monument,  however,  was  left  stand- 
ing in  the  original  burial  place,  and  the  name  of  Dr. 
Mateer  has  also  been  inscribed  on  it. 

The  funeral  service  was  at  2.45  p.  m.,  on  Sabbath; 
and  the  large,  new  church  on  Temple  Hill  was  filled 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  327 

to  overflowing.  The  conduct  of  this  service  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  Pastor  Wang  of  the  Temple 
Hill  church  presiding,  and  Pastor  Lwan  of  the  Teng- 
chow  church  assisting.  In  a  sermon  based  on  Revela- 
tion 14  :  13,  Pastor  Wang  spoke  of  Dr.  Mateer's 
long  and  active  life,  of  his  power  as  a  preacher  who 
addressed  himself  straight  to  the  hearts  of  the  people, 
and  of  the  enduring  character  of  the  work  he  had 
accomplished.  Rev.  Lwan  followed  in  an  address 
in  which  he  dwelt  upon  the  large  number  of  people 
who  would  mourn  the  death  of  Dr.  Mateer,  and  the 
many  different  places  where  memorial  services  would 
be  held;  on  his  adaptability  to  all  classes  of  men  in 
order  to  win  them  to  Christ,  and  on  his  unfailing 
assurance  that  the  gospel  would  finally  triumph  in 
China. 

The  English  service  followed  immediately  after- 
ward in  the  cemetery;  but  on  account  of  the  large 
number  of  foreign  missionaries  who  had  come,  and 
the  limited  space,  announcement  had  to  be  made 
before  leaving  the  church  that  of  the  many  Chinese 
who  were  present,  only  those  who  had  been  Dr. 
Mateer's  students  could  be  admitted.  One  of  the 
great  regrets  incident  to  the  burial  was  that  Dr. 
Corbett,  who  had  come  out  to  China  with  him  on 
that  long  first  voyage,  and  who  had  been  his  close 
associate  on  the  field  in  so  much  of  the  work,  and  who 
cherished  for  him  the  warmest  regard,  could  not  be 
present.  He  was  away  in  a  country  field  when  death 
came  to  Dr.  Mateer,  and  the  news  did  not  reach  him 


328        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

in  time  for  him  to  return  to  the  funeral.  In  his 
absence  Rev.  Dr.  W.  0.  Elterich,  of  Chefoo,  conducted 
the  service.  After  he  had  spoken,  Rev.  J.  P.  Irwin, 
of  Tengchow, — who  had  been  associated  with  Dr. 
Mateer  in  the  same  station,  and  who  as  a  consequence 
knew  him  intimately, — bore  his  testimony  especially 
to  the  unceasing  activity  of  the  life  of  him  whose 
body  was  about  to  be  lowered  into  the  grave,  and  the 
impossibihty  that  his  work  should  have  been  finished 
even  if  he  had  lived  to  be  a  hundred  years  old;  to 
the  warm  heart  hidden  beneath  an  exterior  that  did 
not  always  reveal  it ;  and  to  the  purpose  now  fulfilled, 
but  formed  nearly  half  a  century  before  by  him  and 
by  her  whose  remains  now  rest  at  his  side,  to  spend 
their  whole  lives  in  giving  the  gospel  to  China,  and 
to  be  buried  in  its  soil. 

Their  graves  are  in  a  very  beautiful  spot,  directly 
in  front  of  the  upper  walk  leading  in  from  the  gate, 
and  in  close  proximity  to  those  of  Dr.  Nevius  and  of 
others  of  their  missionary  friends  and  associates. 

The  tributes  paid  to  his  character  and  work  were 
so  numerous,  both  out  in  China  and  in  the  United 
States  and  in  other  Christian  lands,  that  all  that  is 
practicable  here  is  to  make  some  selections  that  may 
serve  as  representatives.  That  of  Dr.  Corbett  de- 
serves the  place  of  precedence.  Their  strong  attach- 
ment was  mutual.  In  an  article  filling  several 
columns  of  ''The  Presbyterian  Banner,"  Dr.  Corbett 
paid  his  tribute  to  his  deceased  friend.  Much  of  this 
is  of  necessity  a  condensed  rehearsal  of  his  life  and 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  329 

of  the  leading  characteristics  therein  revealed.     He 
concludes  by  saying: 

Personally  I  shall  ever  esteem  it  one  of  the  greatest 
blessings  of  my  life  that  it  has  been  my  privilege  to 
have  enjoyed  the  friendship,  and  of  being  a  colaborer 
with  this  great  man  for  nearly  fifty  years.  More 
than  forty  years  ago  it  was  my  privilege  to  spend 
with  him  weeks  and  months  on  long  itinerating 
journeys,  preaching  daily  to  hundreds  who  had  never 
heard  the  gospel,  and  at  no  place  fmding  Christians 
to  cheer  our  hearts.  Often  after  a  long  day  of  ex- 
haustion, preaching  in  the  open  air  at  great  markets 
and  on  crowded  streets,  in  the  evening  we  would 
kneel  together  at  the  inn  and  earnestly  pray  for  God's 
richest  blessing  upon  our  efforts  to  bring  men  to  a 
saving  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Often  the  thought 
came  into  our  mind,  Can  these  dry  bones  live?  Shall 
we  hve  to  see  Christian  churches  established  and 
shepherded  by  Chinese  pastors?  His  unwavering 
faith  in  the  ultimate  and  universal  triumph  of  the 
gospel  in  China  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  all  associ- 
ated with  him.  When  the  news  of  his  death  reached 
me  at  our  inland  station,  the  thought  rushed  into  my 
mind:  ''Kjiow  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince  and  a 
great  man  fallen  this  day  in  Israel?" 

The  world  will  ever  seem  more  lonely  without  him. 
His  sympathy  and  help  could  always  be  counted  on 
in  every  kind  of  true  missionary  work.  His  labors 
were  crowned  with  success  and  honor  continuously, 
until  he  was  summoned  by  the  Master  to  a  higher  and 
wider  sphere  where  his  saints  serve  him. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  man  who  is  entitled  to  be 
heard  next  is  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  M.  Hayes,  now  of 


330        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Tsingchow  fu,  but  formerly — after  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  Mateer — the  head  of  the  Tengchow  College. 
There  is  no  one  of  his  associates  on  the  mission  field 
in  whom  Dr.  Mateer  had  greater  confidence;  and 
for  years  they  were  in  such  constant  contact  that  they 
knew  each  other  most  thoroughly.  A  few  days  after 
the  burial  a  memorial  service  was  held  at  Wei  Hsien, 
and  at  this  Dr.  Hayes  made  an  extended  address 
before  an  audience  including  the  students  of  the 
college.  The  respective  lines  of  thought  which  he 
first  elaborated  were  his  faithfulness  to  Christ's 
service,  his  resolution,  his  attention  to  great  matters, 
and  his  industry.     In  the  conclusion  he  said: 

Let  us  strive  to  make  his  strong  spiritual  qualities 
our  own.  Of  these,  the  most  conspicuous  were  three: 
First,  his  faith.  The  morning  he  died,  replying  to  an 
inquiry  of  his  brother,  he  said,  ''I  have  left  those 
things  long  ago  in  the  hands  of  my  Father."  Later, 
and  only  a  few  hours  before  his  death,  he  said,  as  if 
speaking  to  himself,  ^'We  are  justified  of  the  Lord 
Jesus."  It  is  not  strange  that  with  such  a  faith  he 
fell  asleep  as  a  little  child  would  in  its  mother's  arms. 
Second,  his  reverential  spirit.  Though  he  did  not 
fear  the  face  of  man,  and  was  outspoken  in  his  con- 
victions, yet,  especially  in  his  later  years,  as  one  who 
had  served  with  him  on  the  Translation  Committee 
from  the  first  remarked,  his  reverence  in  approaching 
the  divine  presence  was  apparent  to  all.  This  was 
characteristic  of  him  to  the  end.  The  last  distinct 
utterance  which  he  made  was,  ''Holy!  Holy!  Holy! 
True  and  Mighty."  Lying  prone  on  his  couch,  it 
seemed  as  if  he  saw  the  King  in  his  beauty,  and  the 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  331 

vision  filled  his  soul  with  godly  fear.  Third,  his  for- 
giving spirit.  Being  a  man  of  decided  views,  and  dis- 
approving of  what  did  not  seem  to  him  wise  and  good, 
he  did  not  always  approve  of  the  course  taken  by  his 
colleagues;  yet  if  convinced  that  a  man  was  working 
with  a  single  heart  for  the  interest  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
he  was  ready  to  forgive,  and  to  hope  for  the  best.  He 
loved  the  Lord  who  had  forgiven  him,  and  so  loved 
those  who  had  offended  against  himself.  This 
extended  both  to  those  with  whom  he  labored,  and 
to  those  for  whom  he  labored.  One  of  his  marked 
characteristics  was  not  to  give  over  any  man  who  had 
fallen  away,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  give  him 
another  chance. 

I  have  already  noticed  the  intimacy  of  Dr.  Chauncey 
Goodrich,  of  Peking,  with  Dr.  Mateer.  The  tribute 
which  he  paid  his  long-time  friend,  and  his  associate 
and  captain  on  the  Mandarin  Revision  Committee 
through  the  many  years  of  their  labors,  is  perhaps  the 
most  comprehensive  of  all  that  have  been  published. 
It  filled  fourteen  pages  of  ^'  The  Chinese  Recorder," 
and  touches  all  the  leading  features  of  the  life  and 
work  of  Dr.  Mateer.  What  he  says  as  to  the  Man- 
darin version  has  especial  weight.    His  testimony  was : 

In  the  interest  of  truth  it  must  be  added  that  no 
man  gave  so  much  time  and  hard  work,  or  dug  quite 
so  deep.  His  effort  to  produce  a  translation  which 
should  match  the  original,  to  translate  the  figures  and 
preserve  their  beauty,  was  extraordinary.  ...  At 
these  sessions  Dr.  Mateer  by  his  strong  and  masterful 
personality,  as  well  as  by  the  thoroughness  of  his 
preparation,  did  much  to  set  the  style  of  the  work. 


332        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

Turning  to  some  of  his  leading  characteristics,  he 
proceeded  thus: 

First,  his  personality.  In  the  Conference  of  1890, 
Dr.  Wright,  secretary  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  was  with  us.  He  remarked  that  ''of 
all  the  men  present  at  that  conference,  there  were  two 
whose  personality  most  impressed  him."  One  of 
these  was  Dr.  Mateer.  He  bore  himself  like  a  sort 
of  prince  among  men,  facile  princeps.  He  was  born 
to  lead,  not  to  follow.  Having  worked  out  his  own 
conclusions,  he  was  so  sure  of  them  that  he  expected, 
almost  demanded,  their  acceptance  by  others.  Yet 
he  was  not  arrogant  and  was  truly  humble.  More- 
over, he  could  ask  forgiveness  for  words  that  he  felt 
had  been  too  hasty  or  too  harsh,  feeling  much  broken 
by  giving  pain  to  a  friend.  In  this  he  showed  his 
greatness.  He  could  also  forgive  and  forget.  But  he 
was  still  a  leader  by  the  very  force  of  his  personality. 

He  had  the  quality  of  perseverance  in  a  large  degree. 
Having  undertaken  a  work,  he  held  to  it  with  unwaver- 
ing and  unconquerable  persistence  to  the  end,  .  .  . 
and  that  not  only  because  he  gripped  the  work,  but 
because  the  work  gripped  him.  Had  his  life  been 
spared,  he  would  have  worked  steadily  on  through 
the  Old  Testament  till  the  last  verse  cf  Malachi  was 
finished,  and  the  whole  was  carefully  reviewed.  Of 
Dr.  Mateer's  habit  of  working  till  the  end  was  reached 
Dr.  Hamilton  writes:  "Not  many  months  ago,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Shantung  Board  of  Directors,  we  had  a 
considerable  amount  of  unfinished  business,  and  the 
week  was  hastening  to  its  close.  No  one  had  more 
work  awaiting  him  at  home  than  the  Doctor.  Yet 
when  the  question  of  the  time  of  our  dispersion  was 
raised,  he  said:    'I  have  always  made  it  a  rule,  when 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  333 

I  attend  meetings  of  this  kind,  to  finish  up  the  business 
in  hand,  no  matter  how  long  it  takes.' "  United  to  this 
quahty  of  perseverance  was  a  kindred  quahty  of 
thoroughness,  that  appeared  in  everything  he  at- 
tempted. 

Dr.  Mateer  possessed  a  rugged  strength  of  character. 
He  was  almost  Spartan  in  his  ability  to  endure  hard- 
ships, and  in  his  careless  scorn  for  the  amenities  and 
'' elegant  superfluities"  of  modern  hfe.  Yet  ^'be- 
neath a  rugged  and  somewhat  austere  exterior"  he 
had  a  heart  of  remarkable  tenderness.  He  was  a 
block  of  granite  with  the  heart  of  a  woman. 

Rev.  Mr.  Bailer  also  had  been  associated  with  Dr. 
Mateer  in  the  revision  of  the  Scriptures  since  1900. 
He  says  of  him: 

He  has  left  behind  him  an  example  of  strenuous 
toil  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  parallel;  of  iron 
constitution,  he  was  able  to  do  an  amount  of  work  that 
would  have  killed  most  men.  His  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  was  beyond  praise.  His  recreation 
consisted  in  change  of  occupation,  and  he  made  all 
tend  to  the  one  end. 

Ada,  who  in  the  last  eight  years  of  his  life  stood 
nearer  to  him  by  far  than  any  other,  and  knew  his 
innermost  life,  puts  on  record  this  supplement  as  to 
some  of  his  traits  not  so  fully  brought  out  by  the 
testimony  of  his  friends: 

Next  to  his  reverence,  the  most  noteworthy  feature 
of  his  character  was  his  love  of  truth:  truth  in  the 
abstract,  scientific  truth  and  truth  in  the  common 
conversation  of  life,  but  especially  in  matters  of 
religion.     He    had    no    patience    with    the    popular 


334        CALVIN  WILSON   MATEER 

maxim  that  it  does  not  matter  what  a  man  believes, 
so  long  as  he  is  sincere.  ''Is  there  no  such  thing  as 
truth?"  he  would  say.  "Does  it  make  no  difference 
to  a  man  whether  the  bank  in  which  he  invests  is 
broken?  Men  are  not  such  idiots  in  the  ordinary 
affairs  of  life."  If  it  came  to  a  choice  between  a  polite 
He  and  the  impolite  truth,  he  would  choose  the  latter. 
He  exalted  truth  above  every  other  virtue.  His 
love  of  it  freed  him  from  that  trammeling  of  con- 
ventionality which  binds  so  many.  He  would  be  the 
slave  of  no  man-made  custom. 

Associated  with  this  characteristic,  perhaps  a  result 
of  it,  was  the  kindred  love  of  freedom.  One  of  his 
favorite  texts  was,  ''And  ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."  This  sturdy 
independence  he  sought  to  impress  on  all  minds  coming 
under  his  influence.  He  had  no  patience  with  that 
kind  of  education  that  simply  trained  the  Chinese  to 
become  "lackeys  of  the  foreigners."  How  his  lips 
would  curl  as  he  muttered  that  phrase!  He  would 
waste  money  often  in  trying  to  help  some  one  to 
assertive,  manly  work  in  independent  lines,  rather 
than  as  an  employee.  This  sturdy  force  in  his  char- 
acter was  like  the  magnetic  crane,  which  lifts  pieces 
of  iron,  even  though  they  have  been  hidden  in  the 
ground.  It  compelled  the  manhood  in  other  men  to 
assert  itself;  though  hidden  from  view,  yet  to  burst 
from  its  covering,  and  to  be  drawn  up  higher. 

As  already  noted,  the  West  Shantung  Mission  was 
in  session  at  Wei  Hsien  when  the  tidings  of  Dr. 
Mateer's  death  came;  and  before  they  adjourned 
they  adopted  a  highly  appreciative  minute  concerning 
him.  In  it  they  said,  among  other  equally  strong 
tributes  to  his  worth : 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  335 

No  one  ever  went  to  him  in  trouble  without  finding 
sympathy  and  help.  Frugal  in  his  style  of  living, 
he  gave  generously  of  his  personal  means  to  many  a 
needy  man;  and  he  made  many  considerable  gifts 
to  the  college  and  to  other  departments  of  the  work 
he  so  much  loved.  His  name  will  long  be  a  fragrant 
memory  in  our  midst,  and  the  Chinese  will  more  and 
more,  in  the  years  to  come,  rise  up  and  call  him 
blessed. 

The  Enghsh  Baptist  Mission  at  their  first  meeting 
after  his  death  adopted  resolutions  expressive  of 
their  deep  sense  of  loss.  One  of  these  will  serve  as 
an  example  of  all: 

Combined  with  great  strength  of  will  and  an  en- 
thusiasm which  overcame  all  difficulties  and  opposi- 
tion which  stood  in  the  way  of  the  accomplishment  of 
the  great  and  arduous  tasks,  he  was  endowed  with 
much  tenderness  of  heart  and  a  devoted  loyalty  to  the 
gospel.  He  was  a  successful  educator,  a  fine  ad- 
ministrator, a  powerful  preacher,  and  a  distinguished 
scholar;  and  his  removal  from  amongst  us  has  left 
a  gap  which  will  not  soon  or  easily  be  filled. 

The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  under 
whom  he  had  served  for  forty-five  years,  adopted  an 
extended  and  highly  appreciative  paper.  In  one  of 
the  paragraphs,  they  say: 

Dr.  Mateer  was  a  man  of  unusual  abihty  and  force 
of  character;  an  educator,  a  scholar,  and  an  executive 
of  high  capacity.  .  .  .  The  Board  records,  with 
profound  gratitude  to  God,  its  sense  of  the  large 
usefulness    of    this    great    missionary    educator.     It 


336        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

mourns  that  the  work  is  no  longer  to  have  the  benefit 
of  his  counsel,  but  it  believes  that  he  builded  so  wisely 
and  so  well  that  the  results  of  his  labors  will  long 
endure,  and  that  his  name  will  always  have  a  promi- 
nent place  in  the  history  of  missionary  work  in  the 
Chinese  Empire. 

Secretary  Brown,  of  that  Board,  in  a  letter  to  Rev. 
Robert  Mateer,  of  Wei  Hsien,  said:  ''I  regarded  him 
as  one  of  the  great  missionaries  not  only  of  China, 
but  of  the  world." 

Scores  upon  scores  of  personal  letters,  and  a  large 
number  of  articles  published  in  newspapers  and  peri- 
odicals, are  available  as  tributes  to  his  work  and  char- 
acter. Necessarily,  they  repeat  what  is  said  in  the 
quotations  already  given,  though  almost  every  one 
makes  some  valuable  addition.  Few  of  them  were 
meant  for  publication,  and  it  is  not  because  of  a  lack 
of  appreciation  that  any  of  them  are  omitted  here. 

Shall  his  biographer  add  his  own  estimate  of  the 
work  and  character  of  Dr.  Mateer?  If  the  writing 
of  this  book  has  been  at  all  what  it  ought  to  be,  this 
cannot  be  still  needed;  for,  if  he  has  revealed  the  inner 
and  the  outer  life  of  this  great  Christian  missionary 
as  it  deserves,  and  as  he  has  aimed  to  do,  then  to  turn 
back  now  and  rehearse  his  characteristics  would  be  a 
superfluity.  Besides,  if  I  begin,  where  shall  I  end? 
I  must  tell  of  his  personality;  his  individuality;  of 
his  physique  and  of  his  psychical  nature;  of  his 
peculiarities  of  intellect, — its  vigor,  versatility  and 
vision;    of  his  great  heart,  and  the  tenderness  of  it 


CALLED  UP  HIGHER  337 

that  was  not  always  externally  manifest  enough  to 
command  recognition;  of  his  will  that  yielded  never 
to  numbers  or  force,  but  only  to  truth  and  duty; 
of  a  conscience  whose  voice  would  have  made  him 
defy  anything  that  man  could  do  to  him;  of  a  piety 
that  rooted  itself  in  the  sovereignty  and  in  the  grace 
of  Almighty  God,  and  in  the  redemption  which  Christ 
finished  on  the  cross;  of  a  consecration  that  laid  him- 
self and  all  that  he  could  bring  upon  the  altar  of  divine 
service;  of  the  preacher,  the  teacher,  the  scholar, 
the  man  of  science,  the  man  of  business,  and  of  the 
son,  the  husband,  the  brother,  the  fellow-disciple  and 
associate  in  Christian  service;  of  his  economy  of 
time  and  of  money,  and  of  his  generosity;  of  his 
conservatism  and  his  progressiveness ;  of  his  single- 
ness of  purpose,  his  courage,  his  persistence,  his 
efficiency;  of  his  weaknesses  as  well  as  of  his  strength; 
of  his  many  successes  and  his  few  failures ;  and  of  how 
much  more  I  cannot  enumerate.  I  would  be  justified 
in  comparing  him  with  the  very  foremost  of  the 
servants  of  Christ,  living  or  dead,  who  during  the 
past  century  have  consecrated  their  lives  to  the 
evangelization  of  China;  or  with  Verbeck  of  Japan, 
or  Duff  of  India.  However,  I  will  here  venture 
further,  only  to  invite  as  many  as  may  to  look  well 
into  the  story  of  his  life ;  and  I  am  confident  that  they 
will  join  with  me  in  saying:  ''This  was  a  Christian; 
this  was  as  distinctively  a  missionary,  and  as  efficient 
as  anyone  of  our  age ;  and  at  the  same  time  this  was 
as  manly  a  man  as  our  generation  has  seen.'* 

22 


338        CALVIN  WILSON  MATEER 

In  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress"  we  read:  "After  this  it 
was  noised  abroad  that  Mr.  VaHant-for- truth  was  taken 
with  a  summons  by  the  same  post  as  the  other;  and 
had  this  for  a  token  that  the  summons  was  true, 
'That  his  pitcher  was  broken  at  the  fountain.'  When 
he  understood  it  he  called  for  his  friends,  and  told 
them  of  it.  Then,  said  he,  I  am  going  to  my  Father's; 
and  though  with  great  difficulty  I  am  got  thither, 
yet  now  I  do  not  repent  me  of  all  the  trouble  I  had 
been  at  to  arrive  where  I  am.  My  sword  I  give  to 
him  that  succeeds  me  in  my  pilgrimage,  and  my 
courage  and  skill  to  him  that  may  get  it.  My  marks 
and  scars  I  carry  with  me,  to  be  a  witness  for  me  that 
I  have  fought  His  battle  who  now  will  be  my  rewarder. 
When  the  day  that  he  must  go  hence  was  come, 
many  accompanied  him  to  the  river  side,  into  which 
as  he  went  he  said,  'Death,  where  is  thy  sting?'  And 
as  he  went  down  deeper,  he  said,  'Grave,  where  is 
thy  victory?'  So  he  passed  over,  and  all  the  trumpets 
sounded  for  him  on  the  other  side." 


INDEX 


Aground  off  coast  of  China,  63 
Algebras,  164 

Anglo-Chinese  college,  216,  218 
Anniversary  of  graduation,  39 
Apparatus,  209,  211,  244 
Apprehensions  as  to  China,  308, 

313 
Arithmetic,  162 

Bailer,  Rev.  Mr.,  182,  258,  333 
Baptism,  infant,  tract,  160 
Beaver  Academy,  43,  239 
Bergen,  Paul  D.,  225,  229,  325 
Birth,  15 

Birthday,  seventieth,  273,  295 
Books  in  preparation,  160,  166 
Boyish  traits,  17,  25,  237 
"Boxer"  uprising,  264,  284,  286 
Brown,  Arthur  J.,  9,  12,  336 
Brown,  Julia  A.,  53 
Brown,  Margaret,  54,  123,  143, 

i53>  168 
Business  capability,  154 

Canal,  Grand,  169 

Candidate  for  ministry,  42, 44, 48 

Capp,  Mrs.,  54,  123,  143,  144, 

153,  168,  276 
Caring  for  converts  and  churches, 

123,  126,  174,  178,  183,  192, 

193,  194,  201 
Catechism,  161 
Chalfant,  W.  P.,  325 
Chapel  at  Tengchow,  no 
Characteristics,  personal,  25,  28, 

45,  82,  83,  90,  91,   loi,   148, 

170,   171,   236,  320,  324,  330, 

332,  333,  335,  33^ 
Characters  written,  Chinese,  165, 

253 


Chefoo,  67,  203,  264,  265,  273, 

281,  299,  300,  320,  326 
China,  appointed  to,  57 
China  as  a  mission  field,  70,  317 
China,  the  "new,"  150,  286,  305, 

311,  317 
Chinese  characteristics,  308,  312 
Chinese  language,  105,  108,  165, 

252,  269 
Chinese     Presbyterian     church, 

199,  200,  204,  205 
Chow  Yuen,  123,  184 
Christianity  in  China,  173,  310, 

313 

Classmates,  37,  38 
Coal  press,  75 
Cofi&n,  making  a,  242 
College  student,  34,  93 
Conference,  first  missionary,  252, 

255 
Conference,    second   missionary, 

252 
Conference,     third     missionary, 

266,  267,  272 
Controversies,  151,  170,  197,  203, 

290 
Conversion,  92 
Converts,  early,   123,   142,   143, 

176,  177,  192 
Corbett,  Hunter,  59,  62,  67,  76, 

102,  116,  119,  144,  176,  239, 

300,  327,  328 
Country  school,  29 
Cumberland  valley,  15 
Curriculum  of  Tengchow  school, 

136,  138,  144 


Dangers,  63,  121,  122,  124,  280, 

281,  283,  284 
Death,  324 


340 


INDEX 


Delaware,  Ohio,  52,  58 

Delay  after  appointment,  51,  54, 

99. 
Discipline,  church,  142,  175,  200 
Discipline,  school,  140,  141 
Diven,  grandfather,  20 
Doctorate  of  Divinity,  293 
Doctorate  of  Laws,  293 
Duffield,  James,  30 
Dunlaps  creek  academy,  32 
DwelUng  houses,  80,  228 

Education    and    missions,    129, 

159,  312,  315 
Education,  the  "new,"  in  China, 

244 
Electrical  machinery,  214,  248 
Elterich,  W.  O.,  328 
Employment  for  converts,   246, 

334 
English  Baptist  mission,  225,  335 
English   in   school   and   college, 

203,  216,  218,  230,  292 
Entertainments,  245,  250 
Experimentation,  scientific,  213 

Faber  hospital,  322 
Famines,  287 
Farm  life,  22 
Father,  16,  18 
Field,  Cyrus  W.,  213 
Fitch,  G.  F.,  157,  163,  170 
Funeral  services,  325,  326 
Furloughs,  145,  298,  299,  300 

General  Assembly,  206,  303 
Generosity,  171,  172,  287 
GeometPk^,  163 
Goodrich,    Chauncey,    91,    165, 

166,  258,  259,  266,  271,  272, 

319,  320,  322,  323,  331 
Graduates  of  college,  144,  145, 

149,  233,  295,  323,  326 
Grier,  Margaret,  82 

Hamilton,  W.  B.,  332 
Happer,  Andrew  P.,  216 
Haven,  Ada,  299 


Hayes,  Watson  M.,  147, 164, 179, 
210,  214,  225,  240,  322,  323, 

329 
Hays,  Isaac  N.,  93 
Hebrew  at  Chautauqua,  299 
"Hermitage,"  the,  22,  238,  304 
Home  life,  23,  41,  79,  82 
Honors  and  distinctions,  38,  293 
House-building,  76,  78,  228 
HunterstowTi  academy,  31 
Hymn  book  and  hymns,  161 

Illness,  last,  321 
Inns,  Chinese,  68,  116 
Invitations  declined,  43,  52,  218, 

294 
Ir\\in,  J.  P.,  328 
Itinerations,  112,  116,  119,  123, 

124,  125,  127,  184,  186,329 

Japanese  bombardment  of  Teng- 

chow,  284 
Jefferson  College,  ^3,  238 

Kiao-chow,  195,  286 
Kirkwood,  Mrs.  Jennie,  17,  23, 

40 
Korean  expedition,  297 
Kwan  Yin  temple,  jt,,  129,  135, 

210 

Language,  learning  the,  105,  108, 

109 
Licentiate,  a,  49 
Licentiates,  Chinese,  201 
Locomotives  and  Baldwin  Works, 

239,  243 
Lwan,  Pastor,  327 

Maker,  a,  of  "new"  China,  309 
Mandarin  Dictionary,  165,  166 
Mandarin  Elementary  Lessons, 

170,  3po 
Mandarin  Lessons,  167,  169,  172 
Mandarin  version,  252,  255,  256, 

259,  263,  264,  265,  267,   268, 

271,  319,  321,  322,  331 


INDEX 


341 


Manufacturing,  240 
Marriage,  53,  299 
Marrin,  W.  A.  P.,  167,  249,  306 
Mateer,  Ada  Haven,  82, 170,  241, 

248,  250,  266,  299,  303,  319, 

321,  322,  324,  SS3 
Mateer,  Horace  N.,  17 
Mateer,  Jennie  W.,  17,  23,  40 
Mateer,  John  L.,  17,  156,  278 
Mateer,  Julia  A.,  53,  62,  78,  108, 

114,  123,  126,  129,  134,  137, 

147,  169,  170,  192,  194,  276, 

280,  298,  299 
Mateer,  Lillian,  17,  146,  147 
Mateer,  Robert  M.,  17,  146,  323, 

324,  326  _ 
Mateer,  William.  D.,  17,  240 
Mechanical  ability,  155,  236 
Medical  work,  86,  298 
Mercer,  S.  B.,  32 
"Methods    of    Missions,"    151, 

196,  292 
Miao,  123,  184 
Miller,  J.  R.,  44 
Mills,  Rev.,   72,  114,   126,   167, 

174,  179,  194,  199,  243,  276, 

291,  298 
Ministry,  a   Chinese,   161,   200, 

314 
"Mission,"  the,  196 
Missionary,  a  foreign,  40,  42,  49, 

51,  54,  57 
Missionary  qualifications,  316 
Moderator  of  Synod,  203 
Mother,  16,  20,  40,  50,  299,  304 
Museum,  245 

Nanking,  169,  294 

Nevius,  J.  L.,  71,  145,  151,  196, 

256,  259 
New   Testament   revision,    258, 

260,  264,  266 
Ningpo,  203 

Observatory,  209,  214 

Old  Testament  revision,  272,  273, 

319,  322 
Ordination,  53 


Parentage,  16,  18 
Pastorate,  179,  180,  192 
Pecuniary  affairs,  171,  172 
Peking,  264,  278,  285,  294 
Periodicals    and    contributions, 

150 
Persecutions,  187,  195 
Policy  of  college,  230 
Preacher,  as  a,  91,  102,  181 
Preaching  in  Chinese,  109,  204 
Premises  of  school  and  college, 

129,  135,  147,  209,  210,  229 
Presbyterian   Board  of   Foreign 

Missions,  335 
Presbytery  of  Shantung,  199,  200 
Presidency  of  college,  179,  214, 

229,  231 
Press,  the  mission,  152,  155,  157, 

278 
Profession  of  religion,  33 
Provincial  college,  215,  247,  309 
Publications,  150,  160,  161,  162, 

164,  165,  166,  167,  169,  170 
Pupils,  129,  132,  134,  135,  137, 

138,  146 


"Rebels,"  Tai-Ping,  71,  280 
Religious  hfe,  33,  89,^ 93,  loi,  104 
Removal  to  Wei  Hsien,  226 
Revisers,  Mandarin  version,  256, 
258,  264,  272 


Sabbath  School  letters,  133 
School-Book  Commission,  159 
Science  Hall,  228,  229 
Science  teaching,  212 
Shanghai,  62,  152,  202,  252,  278, 

282,  285 
Shantung,  province,  71,  iii,  284, 

289 
Shantung  college,  128,  207,  220, 

253,  303 
Shantung  Christian  University, 

222,  234 
"Shen,"  151,  170,  291 
Siberian  trip,  243,  300,  302 
Social  life,  82,  193 


342 


INDEX 


Southern  Baptist  mission,  70,  220 
Stated  supply,  178,  179 
Stereotyping,  155 
Stove,  making  a,  75 
Student  v^isitors,  108,  245 
Students  converted,  142,  143, 149 
Superintending  the  mission  press, 

152,  153 
Surgery,  86 
Synod  of  China,  152,  201 


Tai  An,  124 

Tengchow,  68,  70,  84,  108,  208, 

215,  264,  280,  281,  304 
Tengchow  church,  72,  174,  177, 

192 
Tengchow  school,  129,  132,  135, 

138,  140,  146,  149,  153,  277 
Tengchow  station,  71,  73,  81,  223 
Terms,  ecclesiastical,  204 
Terms,  technical  and  scientific, 

159,  160 
Theological  student,  a,  46,  96 
Theology,  teaching,  212 
Tientsin  massacre,  the,  281 
Tours  and  travels,  68,  112,  114, 

116,  119,  123,  124,  125,  126, 

169,  171,  192,  193,  296,  298, 

299,  300,  322 
Translating  and  its  lessons,  269, 

271 
Travel,  modes  of,  68,  112 
Tributes,  327-338 
Tsinan,  125,  226,  234,  289 


Tsingchow,  119,  120,  125,  226, 

229 
Tsingtao,  233,  322,  325 
Tsou  Li  Wen,  259,  260 
Type-making,  155 

Union    in    Shantung    Christian 

University,  226 
Union  of  Presbyterians  in  China, 

204,  205 

Voyage,  first,  58,  99 

Walker,  Mrs.  Lillian,  17,  18,  146, 

147 
Wang  Yuen  Teh,  259,  327 
War,  Chino- Japanese,  284 
Wedding  journey,  303 
Wei  Hsien,  119,  226,  228,  285, 

295,  330 
Wei   Hsien,   at,   228,    243,    248, 

250,  295 
Welcome  at  Tengchow,  145 
Wells,  Mrs.  Margaret  G.,  82 
Wells,  Mason,  82,  285,  326 
West  Shantung  mission,  325,  334 
Western  Theological   Seminary, 

43,  46 
Wilson,  Samuel,  ^^ 
Workshop,  240,  241 

Yangtse,  the,  169,  171,  253 
Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  215,  284 


Date  Due 


■•<*^«iiiMawiiiialwiiii>^ 


tik^^^' 


f^.'*ftvf 


^^4i>^. 


Pnncelon  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01036  3796 


